Trump considers trip to Türkiye for potential Ukraine talks between Zelenskyy, Putin

US President Donald Trump revealed that he is contemplating flying to Türkiye on May 15 to participate in potential peace talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

Trump’s remarks came as both Zelenskyy and Putin cautiously approached the idea of direct negotiations, with Zelenskyy and European leaders urging a 30-day ceasefire to enable talks, Caliber.Az reports per US media.

“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. There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen,” Trump said.

However, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations should proceed, despite Putin’s reluctance to cease military actions. “We’ve got to push for this to move forward,” Trump added, referring to the broader diplomatic efforts.

Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy confirmed plans to visit Türkiye this week after holding discussions in Kyiv with key European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, and Polish former Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The European leaders had issued a stark warning to Putin, declaring they would impose new sanctions on Russia unless the attacks on Ukraine ceased.

Regarding the potential for further sanctions, Trump stated, “I would consider imposing the additional sanctions on Russia if I felt it would be important toward getting the deal done.” His comments came ahead of a trip to the Middle East, where he could stop in Türkiye if the talks progress.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Saturday that Russia is open to ending the war but remains "resistant to any kinds of pressure."

Türkiye had previously facilitated talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in 2022. However, negotiations collapsed after the discovery of mass civilian casualties caused by Russian forces near Kyiv. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also helped broker an agreement in 2022 that allowed for the safe export of Ukrainian grain.

Trump expressed optimism about Erdogan’s role, calling the Turkish president a “great host” and noting the cooperation between the US and Türkiye on other diplomatic fronts. Trump also suggested that the US could consider lifting sanctions on Syria, saying, “We’re going to have to decide on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve... We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev