In remarks that could derail renewed hopes for peace between Russia and Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that no meaningful progress will be made in negotiations until he meets directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Financial Times, Trump’s comments came during his flight to the United Arab Emirates, where he told reporters aboard Air Force One that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.”
The statement comes just as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were preparing to meet in Turkey—their first such engagement since early 2022. Trump’s assertion has cast a long shadow over the talks, which had been viewed as a potential first step toward de-escalating the long-running conflict.
“Putin obviously wasn’t going to go unless I was going,” Trump said, emphasizing his belief that a high-level dialogue was essential to achieving any breakthrough.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s skepticism, saying that Washington did not expect significant outcomes from the meetings in Turkey. Speaking from the NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Ankara, Rubio noted the absence of direct high-level engagement and said, “I frankly do not believe that we’re going to have a breakthrough here until President Trump sits face to face with President Putin.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Ankara for the talks, expressed disappointment at the composition of the Russian delegation, led by former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky rather than senior Kremlin officials. He dismissed the group as “stand-in props” and questioned whether they had the authority to negotiate meaningfully.
Despite Putin’s recent suggestion that direct negotiations with Ukraine could resume, he declined to attend the Istanbul meetings. The Kremlin instead dispatched a lower-profile team, drawing criticism from European and Ukrainian officials. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius accused Putin of “trying to lead the American president down the garden path,” and warned that Europe was prepared with contingency plans if negotiations failed.
The White House confirmed that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary Rubio, and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg would attend the discussions in Turkey. Still, Trump indicated he had opted against personally participating after learning that Putin would not be present.
“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump repeated. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”
The talks in Turkey are widely seen as a test of renewed diplomatic channels, though with little clarity on their scope or mandate. Zelenskyy stressed that a ceasefire remains Ukraine’s priority, but urged Western allies to increase pressure on Russia, including through tougher sanctions if no progress is made.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of ongoing international debate about how to end the war, with Washington’s role—and Trump’s potential return to high-level diplomacy—taking center stage.
