US President Donald Trump has confirmed his readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the earliest opportunity, underscoring the urgency both sides attach to ending the protracted conflict in Ukraine.
During a media interaction in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, part of his tri-nation Middle East tour, Trump was asked when he might meet Putin, as direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are ongoing in Türkiye. The US leader replied, “It’s time for us to just do it.”
“We’re going to get it done,” Trump said, adding that he would meet with Putin “as soon as we can set it up.”
While Trump did not specify a timeline for the potential face-to-face encounter, he suggested that while the world is already a “much safer place,” it will be “much, much safer” in “two to three weeks.”
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On Wednesday, Trump expressed his willingness to join the discussions on Friday if something “positive came out of the talks in Türkiye.”
Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were expected to hold discussions there on Thursday after Putin proposed resuming the Istanbul talks, which had been stalled for nearly three years. However, the Moscow delegation reportedly waited the entire day, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the talks had been rescheduled for Friday.
Earlier, the Russian president had indicated that he would not participate in the initial rounds of negotiations in Türkiye, but hinted at offering Ukraine certain concessions if it agreed to a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, NATO member states, including France, have agreed to bolster Kyiv’s defences against Russia. Kremlin spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday that “France was leading the West’s warfare pack against Russia” and warned that such actions could jeopardise peace and regional stability.
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