It is not likely that President Donald Trump will personally mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. In order to join the Russians and Ukrainians at the bargaining table, Trump continued to stoke rumours for days that he may alter his carefully planned Middle East trip itinerary. Russian President Vladimir Putin would “like me to be there,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
However, two White House officials told CNN that Trump would not be attending the meetings immediately after the Kremlin announced a list of their team participating, indicating for the first time that Putin would not be present.
The timing of these statements marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Trump-Putin relationship, regardless of whether it was an attempt to maintain face or just acknowledging that Trump’s involvement was always a grand ambition.
Officials noted that altering Trump’s itinerary at this stage of his three-nation Middle East tour would have been a logistical headache, not to mention a significant diplomatic obstacle to have the president ready for such crucial discussions so quickly. Despite this, Trump continued to make insinuations that he may go.
In order to keep his followers and even some of his closest advisers and friends guessing, the former reality TV star appeared to be deliberately introducing a “will he or won’t he” dynamic.
It’s possible that Putin would want me to be present. On Wednesday, Trump responded to a question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins aboard Air Force One by saying,
“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back.” “I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there,”
he added.
However, Putin had not yet consented to attend the discussions, even though Trump had suggested it. Additionally, Zelensky stated that he would only negotiate with Putin as a representative of Ukraine.
In response to questions regarding Putin’s approach and if he still believes the Russian leader is “tapping him along,” as he implied in a prior social media post, Trump promised reporters he will update them in a few days.
Trump first stated on Monday that he was thinking about taking a plane to Turkey for the peace negotiations, saying,
“I guess there’s a possibility of it, if I think things can happen.”
As the scaled-down peace negotiations in Turkey begin, Trump is presently expected to visit Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday before returning to Washington on Friday.
