US President Donald Trump said he does not expect any real movement toward peace in Ukraine until he sits down face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates, Trump made it clear that he sees a personal meeting with Putin as the key to breaking the deadlock.
The comments came as both Ukrainian and Russian delegations traveled to Istanbul for talks aimed at finding a way to end the war, now entering its third year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to show up in person as a sign that Moscow was serious about peace. Instead, Russia sent a lower-level delegation, despite earlier signals from Putin about his willingness to engage directly.
Trump, speaking candidly, said he wasn’t surprised Putin stayed away from the talks. He claimed Putin had originally planned to attend, but changed his mind when it became clear Trump himself would not be present. Trump has previously suggested he would be willing to travel to Turkey to take part in the negotiations but has not yet done so. Instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is representing the US at the talks.
Trump’s approach marks a clear break from the stance taken by former President Joe Biden, who had maintained that any peace talks must be led by Ukraine alone, without direct US involvement in negotiating terms. Trump, by contrast, believes a top-level meeting between himself and Putin is essential for progress, citing the ongoing loss of life as a reason to act swiftly.
The latest round of diplomacy comes amid increasing frustration from Kyiv over the lack of meaningful steps from Moscow. Zelensky has repeated that Ukraine is open to negotiations, but only if Russia demonstrates real intent to reach a ceasefire and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Despite international support for Ukraine and mounting pressure on Russia, the Istanbul talks have yet to produce any clear outcomes. With neither Putin nor Trump at the table, and no official timetable for the next steps, hopes for a breakthrough remain uncertain. Trump’s call for a personal meeting with Putin adds another layer of complexity to an already tense diplomatic effort.