Reuters reported that on May 12, US President Donald Trump proposed to participate in potential negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, scheduled to be held on May 15 in Istanbul (Türkiye).
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr. Trump said that dialogues in Istanbul could be useful and he could attend, within the framework of his trip to the region.
President Trump's visit schedule this weekend includes stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. According to Reuters, this is his second trip since he began his second term at the White House in January.
Trump said that despite a tight schedule of meetings, he would still consider attending the warm-up round between Russia and Ukraine if the meeting took place, while emphasizing the importance of this event. Dont take May 15th for granted in Turkey, Trump said.
The US president's statements came just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suddenly announced that he would travel to Istanbul and be ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin there.
This comes as some Western allies have been reserved about the round of talks, demanding that Russia accept a 30-day ceasefire before negotiations begin.
In another development on May 12, the German government said Europe would begin preparing new sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin did not implement a 30-day ceasefire. Time is running out, a German government spokesman said at a press conference in Berlin.
However, it is unclear how the new sanctions from Europe will impact Russia, especially if the US does not participate. Earlier, over the weekend, leaders of the four European powers visited Kiev and demanded a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, starting on May 12.
On the Russian side, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the 30-day ceasefire proposal was actually made by European countries to "help Kiev have time to strengthen its military capabilities and continue to face Russia".
