Topline
President Donald Trump on Friday said he wants to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as soon as possible, after insisting that the Ukraine peace talks will not see any meaningful progress until a face-to-face meeting between the two of them takes place.
President Donald Trump signs the guest book after touring the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, … More
Key Facts
Speaking to reporters at the last leg of his Middle East trip in Abu Dhabi, Trump said a meeting with Putin will happen “as soon as we can set it up.”
“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump said on a peace deal in Ukraine, saying that on average, five thousand people were dying “every single week” in the conflict.
Trump also claimed Putin chose not to attend peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Turkey, because he was also skipping the meeting.
“I said if I don’t go, I guarantee Putin’s not going and he didn’t go…I understand that,” Trump said.
When asked if he was surprised about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also not showing up for the talks, Trump said: “No, he didn’t show up because he heard Putin wasn’t going.”
Why Did Trump Not Meet With Putin In Turkey?
The president told reporters he was prepared to travel straight from his Middle East trip to have a meeting with Putin, presumably in Turkey. But he couldn’t because his daughter Tiffany had just given birth, and “I do want to see my beautiful grandson.” When asked he has had a chance to talk to his daughter, Trump said he has and “she’s doing great and the baby’s great and we’ll be seeing them very soon.”
Tangent
On Thursday, while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump was asked about the level of the delegation that Russia sent to Turkey for the Ukraine talks. The president said: “Look nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together…And obviously…he wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. Trump added that he doesn’t believe “anything’s going to happen” until a face-to-face meeting between him and Putin takes place.