US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “yesterday” and urged him to ”mediate Russia first” when the Kremlin chief suggested Russia could act as an Israel-Iran peacemaker.

“I spoke to him yesterday, and I said – you know he actually offered to help mediate [in the Middle East] – I said, ‘do me a favor, mediate your own,’” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn.

He went on to elaborate further on his conversation with Putin: “Let’s mediate Russia first. Okay, I said, Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first. You can worry about this [Iran-Israel conflict] later, but I think that’s going to work out too,” Trump added.

Putin has been pitching himself as a possible mediator between Israel, home to a large Russian expat community, and Moscow’s strategic partner Iran, while the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine raises doubts about his suitability for the role.

The US President went on to describe the Russia-Ukraine war as “so stupid.”

“Would have never happened if I was president. You guys agree with that. Would have never happened if I was President. Putin would have never done it,” Trump repeated his familiar talking points, adding “So many people have been killed. The big thing with that one is far more people are dead than have been reported in the Ukraine.”

When asked about this week’s G7 Summit, Trump said, “we enjoyed Canada, and had to come back, obviously, for what’s happening in the Middle East. But I got everything done.”