US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he does not expect progress on a peaceful conflict resolution in Ukraine until he personally encounters his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. He rejected the call of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to take place between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday at the level of presidents. TASR informs this based on the AFP report.
“I do not believe that something happens until the two of us meet – whether you like it or not,” He told Trump to journalists on board the Air Force One presidential special on the road from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates.
Direct negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegation should start in Istanbul on Thursday. This will be the first direct meeting of the opposing parties since March 2022. Their implementation was proposed last Sunday by Russian President Vladimir Putin. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyj then called for a personal meeting in Turkey. However, the Russian leader refused to participate in the negotiations.
Despite the planned program in Qatar and SAE Trump, he did not exclude until the last moment that he could travel to Turkey on Thursday. The White House’s journey was definitely excluded only at night for Thursday after the Kremlin officially announced that the Russian delegation would not lead Putin, but the negotiator Vladimir Medinsky.
However, Trump did not rule out that he could fly to Turkey on Friday if There will be progress on Thursday’s negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul.
