Putin Refuses To Attend Peace Talks With Zelensky After Trump Backed NegotiationsKate Anderson
Contributor
May 14, 2025 7:25 PM ET
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday despite calling for direct negotiations between the warring countries, the BBC reported.
President Donald Trump, who is in Qatar, had hinted at possibly attending the meeting himself if Putin was present, but a Kremlin statement announced Wednesday that presidential aide Vladimir Medinksy would lead the Russian delegation, the BBC reported. Putin called for a direct conversation between Russia and Ukraine on May 10, according to CNN. Trump then requested that the Ukrainians attend the meeting in a post on his Truth Social platform on May 11, saying that the Russian president was open to negotiating “a possible end to the BLOODBATH” in Istanbul, Turkey.
Shortly after these events, Zelensky announced that he would be willing to sit across the table from Putin.
His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said the Ukrainian president was willing to discuss “anything that contributes to long and lasting peace,” Politico reported.
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