Trump: I'd Still Go to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine Talks if Appropriate

President Donald Trump said he is still willing to travel to Turkey on Friday if enough progress is made in the Istanbul peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

"I was thinking about going … If something happened, I'd go on Friday if it was appropriate," Trump, who is in the Middle East for a four-day tour, said during his visit to Qatar.

Why It Matters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Ankara and said he is willing to meet for face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Putin has not so far taken up the offer, sending instead a lower-level delegation for the Istanbul, Turkey, negotiations with Ukraine on Thursday, the first set of direct talks between the warring countries in more than three years.

What To Know

The Ukrainians have framed Putin's attendance of a meeting with Zelensky—or lack thereof—as a test of Russia's true desire for peace. Kyiv and its allies in Europe are calling for even-stronger sanctions against Russia if no ceasefire is agreed.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told CNN "no" when asked if there is a chance of Putin attending the talks in Istanbul.

"I actually said, why would he go if I'm not going? Because I wasn't going to go," Trump told reporters in Qatar when asked about Putin's lack of attendance.

"I wasn't planning to go. I would go. But I wasn't planning to go. And I said I don't think he's going to go if I don't go, and that turned out to be right. But we have people there … I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there."

Ukraine had demanded a full and immediate ceasefire before direct talks, but compromised when it became clear Russia would not agree, though Moscow said it seeks peace, too.

Russia said it wanted talks without conditions, and saw a ceasefire as one, a pause in the fighting that Ukraine could use to regroup and rearm.

Trump had previously demanded that substantial progress be made toward peace or he would walk away from brokering the process.

He wants a swift end to the war, citing the vast death and destruction, and the burden on American taxpayers of funding Ukraine's defense through military aid.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having initially invaded in 2014 when it occupied areas of the country's east and annexed Crimea, a strategically important peninsula on the Black Sea.

Ukraine and its allies accused Russia of an imperial war of aggression that sought to seize control of Kyiv and place it under Moscow's control.

Moscow said Ukraine's desire to deepen its ties with the West, particularly an ambition to join the NATO defensive alliance, posed an intolerable security threat that forced it to act.

What People Are Saying

President Trump said in Qatar: "We think we're going to do well with Russia-Ukraine. Five thousand soldiers are being killed every single week on average. Five thousand … They are wiped out.

"If you see the satellite pictures. I get satellite pictures of that battlefield, and I want to tell you, I've never seen anything like that. I wish I never saw it. You have heads and arms and legs strewed all over the field … So we're going to see if we can end that."

President Zelensky said in a post on X: "I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing.

"We also hear that President Trump is considering attending the meeting in Türkiye. That could become the strongest argument. This week really may change a lot—but only may. Everything is being decided right now."

What Happens Next

The Russia-Ukraine talks are due to begin on Thursday in Istanbul.

Update, 5/15/25, 5:37 a.m. ET: A remark by Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, was added.