Trump mulls Istanbul visit amid crucial peace talks
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a trip to Istanbul, where Russian-Ukrainian talks are set to take place. "I don't know where I'll be on Thursday, I have so many meetings, but I actually thought about flying there," he said.
What do you need to know?
- On May 15, Russian-Ukrainian talks are scheduled to occur in Istanbul.
- U.S. President Donald Trump has not ruled out his attendance.
- "I don't know where I'll be on Thursday, I have so many meetings, but I actually thought about flying there," he told reporters.
"I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I am going be on Thursday, I’ve got so many meetings … There’s a possibility there I guess if I think things can happen," Donald Trump mentioned during a conversation with reporters at the White House.
He indicated that reaching an agreement has been challenging so far because "they couldn’t get a meeting because one said ceasefire, one said no ceasefire, [it] was going back and forth."
"I said: Look, at this point we got to stop it. Just go to the meeting. The meeting has been set. Go to the meeting on Thursday," he stated.
He remarked that his presence would be possible if he "thought it would be helpful." - "I don’t know where I’m going to be at that particular point, I’ll be someplace in the Middle East, but I would fly there if I thought it would be helpful," he added.
Talks in Istanbul
On May 15, expert-level technical talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place in Turkey.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects Russia to agree to a complete and permanent ceasefire. He announced he would be awaiting Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday.
The leaders of Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have urged Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, threatening sanctions if they do not comply.
