Trump says he's returning to US, expects to meet Putin 'as soon as we can set it up'

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on May 16 that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin may happen soon, as he wraps up his Middle East trip and heads back to Washington.

“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump said in Abu Dhabi, adding that the meeting between the two would happen “as soon as we can set it up."

Trump reiterated that he expects no progress in Russia-Ukraine peace talks until he meets Putin. The U.S. president previously floated the idea of visiting the negotiations in Istanbul, though his current travel plans indicate he is skipping the meeting.

Putin has rejected President Volodymyr Zelensky’s appeal to meet in person in Istanbul on May 15 to discuss a ceasefire, even though Moscow itself suggested resuming negotiations. Instead, Russia dispatched a delegation of junior aides and deputy ministers dismissed by Ukraine as “sham."

The Ukrainian delegation met with Turkish and U.S. officials on May 16 and is expected to hold talks with a Russian delegation in Istanbul.

The U.S. president has often boasted about his supposedly warm ties with the Russian leader, though the two have not met since Trump returned to office this January. Trump has adopted a more critical rhetoric toward the Kremlin recently amid stalled peace efforts.

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The Kyiv IndependentAlex Cadier