President Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up for peace talks in Turkey on Thursday because he himself didn’t go.
“I actually said, ‘Why would he go?’ Because I wasn’t going to go. 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,” Mr. Trump said at a business roundtable in Qatar.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Turkey for the talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio went there as well.
Russian and Ukrainian leaders met Thursday in Istanbul to continue peace talks. Mr. Zelenskyy called on Mr. Putin to meet him there for discussions, but Mr. Putin did not show up.
Mr. Trump said Thursday he would go to Turkey for the talks between Russia and Ukraine if it was “appropriate,” a sentiment he expressed earlier this week.
“We’re going to see if we can end that,” Mr. Trump said of the war. “I was thinking about going, but it’s very tough because of what we’re doing today and tomorrow.”
“But, you know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate,” he said.
Mr. Trump finished the second leg of his Middle East trip Thursday before heading to the last portion in the United Arab Emirates.
The Ukrainian leader said Russia’s representation at the talks “appears theatrical.”
“We will have several hours for an important discussion and very important decisions. It is essential to understand the level of the Russian delegation, what mandate they hold, and whether they are authorised to make any decisions at all — because we all know who actually makes decisions in Russia,” Mr. Zelenskyy posted on social media.
