U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “will happen,” expressing regret that it has not already taken place.
When asked by a reporter what would be needed to facilitate such a meeting — possibly with his own participation — Trump responded confidently:
“It will happen, but it should have happened three months ago. It will happen,” he said, while preparing to depart from the White House for Scotland.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey would work toward organizing a Putin–Zelensky summit in Istanbul, with Trump potentially involved, as part of ongoing efforts to resolve the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
“This week, by holding talks with both Putin and Trump, we will try to see whether we can bring these leaders together in Istanbul,” Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.
This comes as Moscow and Kyiv held their third round of negotiations in Istanbul earlier this week, where both sides exchanged proposals to advance peace talks. Ukraine has proposed a leaders’ summit in late August, aiming to push the process forward.
However, the Kremlin has reiterated that a Putin–Zelensky meeting is only possible if a peace agreement is finalized in advance.
