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“You know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday,” Trump said in Qatar, as a Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for the talks without President Vladimir Putin.
US President Donald Trump | Image/File
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he could travel to Turkey if the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine progress.
“You know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday,” Trump said in Qatar, as a Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for the talks without President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to skip the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Notably, the peace talks with Ukraine will resume in Turkey’s Istanbul on Thursday, confirmed Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, as per the Russian news agency TASS.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Kyiv is ready for ‘any format of negotiations’ to end war with Russia. “Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations, and we are not afraid of meetings.”
However, Zelenskyy, who is under pressure from Trump to participate in talks in Istanbul, has placed one condition before the meeting, saying he would only attend if the Russian President were present. “I am waiting to see who will arrive from Russia. Then I will decide what steps Ukraine should take,” he added.
Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks In Turkey
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent aides and deputy ministers to hold peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday. Putin’s absence was witnessed as the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Thursday, spurning Kyiv’s challenge to go there in person to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy..
Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. Following this, Zelenskyy said he would be waiting for the Kremlin leader.
Russia’s TASS news agency said talks would start at 0700 GMT, but a Ukrainian official dismissed that, saying there had been no agreement on when they might begin, Reuters reported.
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