President Donald Trump on Monday raised the prospect of joining talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday.
“I think you may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
“I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday. I’ve got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen, but we’ve got to get it done,” he told reporters at the White House.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to meet him personally in Turkey on Thursday, the latest move in a weekend-long exchange of proposals from both sides.
Zelenskyy said that he still hopes for a ceasefire with Russia starting Monday, and that he will “be waiting for Putin” in Turkey “personally” after President Trump insisted Ukraine accept Russia’s latest offer — to hold direct talks in Turkey on May 15.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Russia is “completely ignoring” a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and European powers, adding that he had spoken to European ministers meeting in London, and they had discussed steps that could be taken against Russia, including new sanctions against the Russian banking and energy sectors and the Russian central bank.
In parallel, the Kremlin said the Russian President was serious about trying to find peace at talks he has proposed in Turkey but his spokesman said he could say no more about the talks after Ukraine demanded the Kremlin chief attend.
“We are committed to a serious search for ways of a long-term peaceful settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, referencing the failed 2022 talks between Russia and Ukraine.
