Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the United States president, Donald Trump, called the potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine a “very important” event. He also suggested that he might be involved in the discussions.
Direct negotiations will resume later this week, most likely on May 15th in Istanbul, Türkiye. The talks were proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
“I think you may have a good result at the Thursday meeting in Türkiye between Russia and Ukraine. I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday, I’ve got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, welcomed the idea that the U.S. ruler be involved in peace talks. But that’s probably because Zelenksky might be able to weasel more military weapons and aid from the U.S. if he plays his cards right.
Zelensky described Trump’s suggestion as the “right idea” and reiterated his claim that he was ready to meet Putin in person. Thus far, Moscow has remained silent on the prospect of the Russian leader traveling to Türkiye for negotiations.
Putin continues to reiterate that he wants an end to the conflict, and a return to negotiations is the first step. Putin stressed that the negotiations could ultimately lead to “some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire.”
“We are set on serious negotiations with Ukraine. Their aim is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to achieve a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective,” Russia’s president added.
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Türkiye, the proposed site of negotiations, has welcomed the initiative and expressed a readiness to host the talks. The Turkish presidency sent a somewhat ambiguous message on the matter on Monday, simultaneously stating that it was an opportunity that should not be missed but also that a ceasefire would have created the “necessary environment” for the negotiations, according to a report by RT.
