Trump, after skipping Russia-Ukraine peace talks, wants to meet Putin ‘as soon as we can set it up’
President Donald Trump on Friday narrated reporters he wants to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine as soon as we can set it up The president speaking from Abu Dhabi during the last stop of his four-day Middle East tour commented I think it s time for us to just do it Trump had mentioned earlier that a meeting between him and Putin was crucial to emerging the deadlock Putin spurned an offer this week by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face for peace talks in Istanbul Trump disclosed he didn t think Putin would show up if he didn t attend the talks himself RUBIO DOUBTS 'ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE' WILL HAPPEN IN UKRAINE PEACE TALKS TRUMP PUTIN I revealed you know they all revealed Putin was going Zelensky was going and I commented if I don't go I guarantee Putin's not going And he didn't go Trump advised reporters Friday When inquired for a timeline Trump stated as soon as we can set it up In place of Zelenskyy and Putin a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to meet with a low-level Russian club headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky Representatives and observers expect these talks to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war between Russia and Ukraine RUBIO TAKES SOMBER TONE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL 'CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH'The two sides are far apart in their conditions for ending the war Ukraine has accepted a U S and European proposal for a full -day ceasefire but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions Meanwhile Ukrainian leadership and Western military analysts allege that Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive After Putin declined Zelenskyy's challenge to sit down with him in the Turkish capital on Thursday the Ukrainian president accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level negotiating group that he described as a theater prop PUTIN SENDING FOREIGN MINISTER TO SAUDI ARABIA FOR TALKS WITH TRUMP OFFICIALSEven so Zelenskyy disclosed that he was sending a band headed by his defense minister to Friday's meeting in Istanbul That would show Trump that Ukraine is determined to press ahead with peace efforts despite Russian foot-dragging Zelenskyy mentioned amid intense diplomatic maneuvering by Kyiv and Moscow The Russian delegation also includes three other senior functionaries the Kremlin announced Putin also appointed four lower-level leaders as experts for the talks Ahead of Friday s talks a three-way meeting between Turkey the U S and Ukraine also took place per Turkish Foreign Ministry administrators The U S side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg Rubio on Thursday stated he did not foresee any major breakthroughs in Istanbul We don't have high expectations of what will happen the following day And frankly at this point I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin Rubio recounted reporters Thursday in Antalya Turkey
