Trump says that peace talks in Ukraine won’t move forward until he meets with Putin

Trump claims that unless he meets Putin in person, “nothing’s going to happen” and that peace talks in Ukraine will stall.

According to former US President Donald Trump, until he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face, peace negotiations over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will not move forward. Trump insisted that a face-to-face meeting with Putin is essential to ending the impasse, telling reporters that “nothing’s going to happen” with the negotiations.

Trump’s remarks coincide with heightened international tensions after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky chastised Russia for not taking the scheduled peace negotiations in Turkey seriously. Zelensky further lowered expectations for fruitful discussion by accusing Putin of sending “stand-in props” rather than physically attending.

In a statement echoed by Russian media, Russia’s foreign ministry responded with a scathing condemnation, calling Zelensky a “clown and a loser.”

Further casting doubt on the immediate chances for peace, Ankara officials stated that “no meeting is scheduled” at this moment, despite the fact that Russian and Ukrainian representatives were present in Turkey.