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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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President Donald Trump said there would be no progress on peace in Ukraine until he and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet.
His comments come as delegations from Ukraine and Russia wait to meet in Istanbul on Thursday for the first set of direct talks in more than three years. It is not clear if the meeting will still go ahead after Putin stayed away and sent a low-level delegation.
"Nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One just before landing in the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported.
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Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, told reporters there were no plans in place for a meeting with Trump, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
Trump Demanded Russia-Ukraine Istanbul Meeting
Trump had previously urged Russia and Ukraine to hold the meeting in Istanbul and expressed optimism about their chances of success. He even said he could go there himself, if appropriate.
The U.S. president has grown frustrated with Russia and Ukraine in recent weeks and said he would walk away from brokering the peace process unless there was substantial progress made quickly.
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Trump posted to Truth Social on May 11 that Putin wanted "to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH."
It was not clear if Trump meant Putin personally or a Russian delegation.
"Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!" Trump posted.
"I'm starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who's too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not even close!) without the United States of America. HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!"
Zelensky Challenged Putin to Meet
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Turkey and challenged Putin to meet him face-to-face, an offer Putin declined, opting instead to send a low-level delegation.
Zelensky called the Russian delegation "theatrical" and contrasted it with Ukraine's delegation of senior officials, which he led.
He said he wanted to "understand the level of the Russian delegation, what mandate they hold, and whether they are authorized to make any decisions at all" before making a call on the talks.
Peskov said Putin had set objectives and defined the negotiating position of his delegation, which was in Istanbul awaiting the Ukrainians, state news agency RIA reported. Peskov said Russia is willing to make the negotiations productive.
Ukraine had demanded a full and immediate ceasefire before direct talks, but compromised when it became clear Russia would not agree, though Moscow said it seeks peace, too.
Russia said it wanted talks without conditions, and saw a ceasefire as one, a pause in the fighting that Ukraine could use to regroup and rearm.
Update 5/15/25, 9:59 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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