On May 15, 2025, President Donald Trump expressed that he wasn’t surprised by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s absence from a peace negotiation meeting regarding Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, Trump had previously urged Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but brushed off the Kremlin’s decision not to attend.
“Look, nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together. Are you okay?” Trump remarked, asserting that he had involved the Air Force in the discussions about peace talks.
“And obviously he wasn’t going. He was going— but he thought I was going. He wouldn’t go if I wasn’t there,” he added.
“Until he and I are together, I don’t think anything will happen, whether you like it or not. But we need to resolve this because so many people are dying,” he continued.
When a reporter asked about Putin’s choice to send aides instead, Trump replied, “I’m not disappointed with anything.”
“Why should I be disappointed? We’ve just taken over $4 trillion, and he says he’s disappointed with the delegation?” the president said.
Previously, Trump had hinted at traveling to Istanbul if there was sufficient progress in mediations between Russia and Ukraine.
“If anything happens, I’ll go on Friday if it’s appropriate,” he mentioned to reporters in Qatar.
Additionally, he noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was already representing the U.S. However, in light of Putin’s reluctance to attend, the Russian president stated that his delegation was prepared to meet with Ukrainian officials.
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked on the uncertainty surrounding the negotiations, saying that they still didn’t know how discussions would unfold.
“It’s too early to say what kind of participation is required and what level, as we don’t know if Ukrainian negotiators will show up and how the negotiations will proceed,” Peskov explained.
Meanwhile, Zelensky mentioned that Putin referred to the discussions as “decorative” in nature.
“We need to understand at what level the Russian delegation is, what their missions are, and whether decisions can be made,” he said after arriving in Ankara.
When asked what message he would convey to Putin, the Ukrainian president simply said, “I’m here. I think this is a clear message.”
The call for negotiations has arisen amid ongoing bloodshed during the last three years of conflict.
