United States President Donald Trump has disclosed the reasons behind the absence of Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin from Thursday’s peace talks in Turkey.
Putin sent a second-tier team of negotiators to the meeting on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Putin’s absence plunged prospects for the peace talks – which would be the first since the early weeks of the war – into confusion.
Speaking on the development, Trump said no progress would be made on the Ukraine peace process until he meets directly with Putin.
“I am not disappointed in anything. I know nothing about a delegation. I haven’t even checked.
Confusion as Putin shuns Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey
“Look, nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay?” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump also suggested that Putin did not attend the talks because he believed Trump would not be there either.
“He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He was not going if I was not there. And I don’t believe anything is going to happen until he and I get together,” the president added.
