US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said there was a possibility he would head to Turkey for talks on Ukraine if his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, also goes there.
“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, however, noted that he was already scheduled to be in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday 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 set to travel to İstanbul on Friday.
“Marco is going, and Marco has been very effective,” Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Putin to show up in Turkey this week for a face-to-face meeting, warning that a no-show would indicate Moscow’s unwillingness to seek peace.
Putin himself has called for negotiations, but Russia has declined to confirm whether he would participate.
Trump vowed to end the Ukraine war immediately upon taking office and had put pressure on Zelensky but has more recently voiced frustration after Russia snubbed an offer for an initial 30-day ceasefire.
© Agence France-Presse