Erdogan says Trump ready to join Zelensky-Putin talks in Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is working to organize a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump potentially joining the talks, Reuters reported.
Speaking after his meeting with Trump, Erdogan said on June 26 that the U.S. president expressed interest in participating if the meeting were to take place in Turkey.
"He said,'If Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a solution, then I will also come,'" Erdogan told reporters. "We will hold the necessary contacts and, God willing, realize this meeting as soon as possible."
Zelensky and Trump met during the NATO summit on June 25, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv's need for additional air defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.
Zelensky has previously voiced openness to a trilateral meeting. On May 27, he told public broadcaster Suspilne that he was ready to sit down with both Trump and Putin.
Putin has claimed he is also willing to meet, but did not attend previous talks proposed in Istanbul, opting instead to send lower-level delegates to peace discussions held on May 16.
The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as "illegitimate", with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in February claiming that any talks must consider "legal aspects" of his mandate.
Turkey previously hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of the few countries with open lines to both Kyiv and Moscow. The latest round of direct talks on June 2 was held in Istanbul.
Martin Fornusek
