Trump will fly to Istanbul for talks if Putin is present

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Finland, 16 July 2018, photo: AP/ ablo Martinez Monsivais

The presence of US President Donald Trump at possible talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul depends on whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there.

CNN reports this with reference to a senior US administration official.

It is noted that the question of whether Trump will fly to Istanbul for the talks remains open. However, according to the source, it depends on Vladimir Putin's presence there.

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«Everything is very dynamic right now», the CNN source said, adding that «no one knows much» about what will happen this Thursday.

At the same time, he claims that the possibility of Trump's participation in the talks in Istanbul «puts a lot of pressure on Vladimir Putin».

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump said he might travel to Istanbul on 15 May, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet.

As a reminder, on 11 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his desire to resume direct talks with Ukraine, which were suspended at the end of 2022. He also said that he planned to address Turkish President Recep Erdogan with a proposal to organise the talks.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct talks, calling it a «good sign». However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that a ceasefire was needed first to really start a dialogue with Russia.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to hold talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on 15 May.

US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should accept the Kremlin's offer to hold direct talks in Istanbul on 15 May: «Have that meeting, now».

Subsequently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that he was looking forward to direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 May in Turkey.