U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that peace talks on Ukraine will not make progress without a direct meeting between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s comments come at a time when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticized Russia for sending what he called “substitute delegates” to the peace talks being held in Turkey. On the other hand, Moscow has previously confirmed that President Putin will not personally participate in these negotiations.
“Look, nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I meet. Okay? And obviously, he wasn’t going to go. He would go, but he thought I’d be going. He won’t go if I’m not there, and I don’t think anything will happen whether you like it or not until he and I meet,” Trump stated. “But we’re going to have to solve it, because a lot of people are dying.”
Trump’s statement adds to the tension at a sensitive moment for international efforts to end the war in Ukraine, and underscores the role he claims he would play in a potential resolution of the conflict.
