Trump said he might travel to Türkiye for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he may detour during his trip to the Middle East to visit Turkey for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which will be held later this week.
“I was actually thinking about flying there,” Trump told reporters at the White House on May 12. “If you think there’s a chance that things can happen, I think that’s possible.”
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to direct consultations at the three-year-old war in Istanbul on May 15th. Trump insisted on the meeting and told reporters just before leaving that he might attend the Turkish discussion if he thought it would be helpful.
Trump said he hopes to halt the 30-day hostilities that European leaders and Ukraine joined him on the weekend despite Russia’s earlier denials to agree to an unconditional temporary ceasefire.
“I feel they’ll agree. I do. I have a feeling,” Trump said.
Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to be in Turkey for an informal meeting of the NATO foreign minister during proposed consultations between Russia and Ukraine.
“I don’t know where I’m at that particular point. I’m somewhere in the Middle East, but I’ll fly there if I think it helps,” Trump said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed consultations but did not say whether he would come personally or send a representative from his government. Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky said he was personally present and putin pushed him to do the same.
Trump told reporters he hopes leaders from both countries will be present.
Will Syria’s sanctions end?
Turkish President Recep Erdogan will become a “great host” for consultations, Trump said. He said this could lay the basis for ending US sanctions on Syria after President Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December 2024.
“We want to give them a fresh start,” Trump said. “We want to see if we can help them.”
Trump promotes direct talks, and Europe prepares Russian sanctions
After the meeting in Kiev on May 10th, leaders from France, Germany, Poland, the UK and Ukrainian demanded a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12th.
If Russia does not agree to a ceasefire, they said it should adopt more stringent sanctions, particularly those in Russia’s bank fuel and energy sector and shadow fleets of oil tankers used to avoid sanctions on exports.
Trump has not publicly committed to the United States with higher sanctions on Russia if Putin was attacking in a ceasefire, and he has not said that if the Russian president skips the Istanbul meeting before he sets off to the Middle East.
However, in the Truth Social Post on May 11, he said Ukraine should agree to directly take consultations. “At least, they can determine if a deal is possible, and if not, European leaders and the US can know where everything is and proceed accordingly!” Trump said.
