Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday despite calling for direct negotiations between the warring countries, the BBC reported.
President Donald Trump, who is in Qatar, had hinted at possibly attending the meeting himself if Putin was present, but a Kremlin statement announced Wednesday that presidential aide Vladimir Medinksy would lead the Russian delegation, the BBC reported. Putin called for a direct conversation between Russia and Ukraine on May 10, according to CNN. Trump then requested that the Ukrainians attend the meeting in a post on his Truth Social platform on May 11, saying that the Russian president was open to negotiating “a possible end to the BLOODBATH” in Istanbul, Turkey.
Shortly after these events, Zelensky announced that he would be willing to sit across the table from Putin. (RELATED: JD Vance Says Russia Is Asking For ‘Too Much’ To End Ukraine War At Munich Security Conference)
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the Ukrainian president was willing to discuss “anything that contributes to long and lasting peace,” Politico reported.
“We want peace, but we didn’t start this war,” Yermak said. “Our people are under attack 24/7.”
December 2019 was the last time Putin and Zelensky met in person, the BBC reported.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the peace talks and suggested other officials may join him, The National Review reported. Trump said Wednesday that he would consider attending as well if ending the war was on the table and added that he believed Putin would prefer that he be there, according to the BBC.
“I know he would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility,” the president said. “If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that.”
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
