Trump offers to attend talks in Turkey if Putin shows up

ZELENSKY CHALLENGES PUTIN TO MEET HIM IN PERSON, SAYING IT’S HIS WAR

- 

US President Donald Trump yesterday offered to head to Turkey for talks on ending the Ukraine war if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also showed up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has challenged Putin to meet him in person in Turkey, but Russia has not confirmed who would attend.

“I don’t know that he (Putin) would be there if I’m not there,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.

“I know he would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that,” he said.

Trump noted that he was already scheduled to be in the United Arab Emirates today on the third and final leg of his Gulf tour.

But, when asked about visiting Turkey, he added: “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is already planning to travel to Istanbul on Friday.

“Marco is going and Marco has been very effective,” Trump said.

First talks since 2022

Putin himself called for the negotiations, which would be the first face-to-face meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials since the initial weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

But Russia has not confirmed who would attend any talks, which have been mentioned for either today or tomorrow.