Trump could join Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey

Donald Trump said he was open to joining the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday, a suggestion that was welcomed by Kiev as “correct idea”, as international efforts intensified to end the war.

The President of the United States will visit the Gulf this week on an official trip to Saudi Arabia, to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and said he could divert to Turkey to participate in planned conversations between the two parties at war.

“I don’t know where I will be on Thursday, I have so many meetings, but I was thinking of flying there.” Trump He told journalists at the White House on Monday. “I guess there is a possibility, if I think things can happen, but we have to do it.”

Trump had previously described the perspective of direct conversations between Moscow and Kiev as a “potentially large day for Russia and Ukraine!”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hosted the United States initiative, saying in a statement that “all of us in Ukraine would be grateful if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Türkiye.” “This is the correct idea,” he continued. “We can change a lot.”

The President’s offer to join the talks was the diplomatic efforts to stop the War in Ukraine During the weekend, a team climbed with a large number of great profile meetings in Kiev. It also occurred when Russian forces increased offensive at various significant points along the first line of 1,000 km, according to Ukrainian military leaders and analysts.

Following Saturday’s talks in Kyiv between Zelenskyy and the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Poland, the Allies asked Russia to accept a 30 -day unconditional cessation of Monday or are facing new “massive” sanctions.

The position was endorsed by Keith Kellogg, sent from Trump to Ukraine, on Sunday, although Trump himself has been more monitored in his public comments on the subject.

Russia President Vladimir Putin responded on Sunday, saying that Moscow and Kyiv should have direct conversations in Istanbul on Thursday, “without any pre -conconditioned condition.” It was unclear if it was planned to attend in person.

Putin It also seemed to dismiss the western calls for the cessation of fire, describing the demands as “ultimatums”. A statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said that any discussion over a high fire must be preceded by conversations about the roots of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Trump responded to the Russian offer of conversations, saying “Ukraine should agree with that immediately.”

“At least they will be able to determine whether or not an agreement is possible,” he wrote about social truth. “If it is not, the European leaders and the United States will know where it is and can proceed accordingly!”

Trump also complained that he was “beginning to doubt that Ukraine will make an agreement with Putin.”

Zelenskyy later agreed to Istanbul’s conversations, challenging the Russian leader to present in the second time the two have met in person.

“I will be in Turkey on Thursday,” Zelenskyy said. “I hope this time, Putin does not look for excuses why he can’t do it. We are ready to talk, to end this war.”

The first and only time Putin and Zelenskyy met, in Paris, in December 2019, they could not agree a peace plan to end the armed conflict instant in Kremlin in the Eastern Donbas region of Ukraine that began in 2014.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not clarify if Putin was planning to attend his proposed meeting. However, the spokesman added that President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had agreed on a telephone call on Sunday with Putin to host a meeting in Istanbul.

Peskov described the preview of a 30 -day cessation, but as an unacceptable ultimatum.

“This language of ultimatums is not acceptable for Russia, it is not appropriate. It cannot be talked about with Russia this way,” he said.

Zelenskyy’s office told The Financial Times that Ukrainian President would go to Turkey, whether Putin appears or not. Speaking to the Ukrainian media, President’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said Ukraine “will not give Russia a reason to accuse us of disrupting the peace process.”

Turkey hosted negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials in 2022, a few weeks after the full -scale invasion of Russia of his western neighbor.

But the conversations were broken down after they revealed that Russian forces had massacred civilians in Bucha, near Kiev, an zelenskyy act convicted of a war crime.

As part of what Erdoğan has called his “balanced” approach to Ukraine, Turkey is one of the few countries that has good relations with both parties, maintaining trade and diplomatic relations with Moscow, while providing military supplies in Kiev.

The last peace push is in the midst of a renewed Russian spring offensive, which has seen its military forces attack the strategic cities of Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Chasiv Yar to East of Ukraine. Deep State, a Ukrainian analytical group with links to the Ministry of Defense, said that during the “cessation of fire” unilateral Russia from 8 to 10 to 10, the country’s forces launched more aggression a day than during the same period in April.

Recorded about 155 separate attacks every day during the three -day period.

“There was no cessation of fire on any front,” the group said.

John Paul Rathbone’s additional reports in Istanbul