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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that if President Trump attended the talks, it would put pressure on Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, to meet face-to-face.
May 13, 2025Updated 3:45 p.m. ET
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine appealed to President Trump on Tuesday to meet him this week for peace talks, saying it would put pressure on President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to attend, but he cast doubt on Mr. Putin’s desire for either talks or peace.
The Kremlin on Tuesday declined to say whether Mr. Putin would travel to for a meeting in Turkey, where peace talks are set for Thursday in Istanbul. “As soon as the president sees it fit, we will announce” the delegation’s makeup, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told Russian news agencies.
Mr. Zelensky said of Mr. Trump, “If he were to confirm his participation, I think it would give an additional push for Putin to come.”
The talks have taken on growing importance as Russia, Ukraine and the United States have weighed in and goaded each other, each time raising the stakes.
Over the weekend, Mr. Putin called for direct talks with Ukraine, while ignoring demands by Kyiv and its allies to agree to an immediate cease-fire by Monday or face further sanctions. Mr. Trump publicly prodded Mr. Zelensky to accept the offer of negotiations, but the Ukrainian leader went a step farther on Monday, saying he would travel to Turkey for a face-to-face meeting, and challenging Mr. Putin to do the same.
Mr. Trump then unexpectedly floated the possibility on Monday that he could take part in the meeting, which will coincide with his scheduled trip this week to the Middle East — an idea Mr. Zelensky swiftly embraced. At the White House, Mr. Trump told reporters, “Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkey.”
