Kiev [Ukraine]/London [UK], May 13: US President Donald Trump said there was a chance he could travel to Turkiye for possible talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I don't know where I'm going to be on Thursday, I've got so many meetings," Trump told reporters before departing on a three-nation trip to the Middle East. "But I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen. But we got to get it done." Zelensky welcomed Trump's potential involvement, calling for a comprehensive ceasefire and expressing support for face-to-face negotiations with Putin in Istanbul on Thursday.
While it was Putin who floated the time and place for the direct talks between the sides, it was never clear that he intended to take part himself. But Zelensky responded on Sunday to the offer and challenged Putin to show up.
In comments about the war on Monday, the Kremlin did not say whether Putin would meet Zelensky. A spokesman continued to reject calls by Kiev and its allies for a 30-day ceasefire.
"Of course, we in Ukraine would like President Trump to be present at this meeting in Turkey," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. He confirmed he would personally go to Istanbul for a meeting, which he hoped would be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We can change a lot," he said.
Russia must show "without delay" it is willing to broker peace in Ukraine, Kiev's leading European allies have said after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy insisted President Vladimir Putin must "get serious" about negotiations.
Lammy hosted his counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the EU on Monday, where they discussed the future of Ukraine after a weekend diplomatic blitz by world leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his Russian counterpart to meet him face-to-face this Thursday in Turkey, for talks aimed at ending the war.
European officials at the Monday gathering suggested such talks must be accompanied by a truce. But Russia has overnight bombarded Ukraine with more than 100 drones, and has said there can be no preconditions for talks.
In a statement released after talks by the Weimar+ group of nations at Lancaster House in central London, the foreign ministers of the countries present said Russia "has not shown any serious intent to make progress."
In an effort to pile pressure on Putin, they added: "It must do so without delay. We joined Ukraine in calling for an immediate, full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just, comprehensive and lasting peace."
Peace will only last if "Ukraine is able to deter and defend against any future Russian attack," they added, also saying Kiev "should be confident in its ability to continue to resist successfully Russian aggression" with support from its allies.
Ukraine's foreign affairs minister Andrii Sybiha joined the meeting via a video call. Lammy insisted Ukraine's allies would work to place it in a "position of strength" and "counter the threat" of Putin, as he spoke at the top of the meeting.
Source: Qatar Tribune
