Topline
President Donald Trump on Friday said he wants to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as soon as possible, after insisting Ukraine peace talks will not see any meaningful progress until a face-to-face meeting between the two of them takes place.
President Donald Trump signs the guest book after touring the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, … More
Key Facts
Speaking to reporters on the last leg of his Middle East trip in Abu Dhabi, Trump said a meeting with Putin will happen “as soon as we can set it up.”
“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump said about a peace deal in Ukraine, claiming “5,000 young people” were dying, on average, “every single week” in the conflict.
It is unclear where Trump was sourcing this death toll figure from, but the British Ministry of Defense reported Russia is likely sustaining around 1200 casualties (dead and injured) per day, while the tracker UALosses.org pegs the weekly Ukrainian death toll around 200.
Trump also claimed Putin chose not to attend peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Turkey, because he was also skipping the meeting.
“I said if I don’t go, I guarantee Putin’s not going and he didn’t go…I understand that,” Trump said.
When asked if he was surprised about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also not showing up for the talks, Trump said: “No, he didn’t show up because he heard Putin wasn’t going.”
Why Did Trump Not Meet With Putin In Turkey?
The president told reporters he was prepared to travel straight from his Middle East trip to have a meeting with Putin, presumably in Turkey. But he couldn’t because his daughter Tiffany had just given birth, and “I do want to see my beautiful grandson.” When asked he has had a chance to talk to his daughter, Trump said he has and “she’s doing great and the baby’s great and we’ll be seeing them very soon.”
What Has The Kremlin Said About A Trump-Putin Meeting?
The Kremlin’s top spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told state-controlled news agency TASS that a meeting between Trump and Putin was “certainly necessary, both in terms of bilateral Russian-US relations and in terms of discussion, a serious conversation on international affairs and regional issues at the highest level, including, of course, the crisis around Ukraine.” However, Peskov did not specify a date on when such a meeting could take place.
Tangent
On Thursday, while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump was asked about the level of the delegation that Russia sent to Turkey for the Ukraine talks. The president said: “Look nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together…And obviously…he wasn’t going if I wasn’t there. Trump added that he doesn’t believe “anything’s going to happen” until a face-to-face meeting between him and Putin takes place.
Key Background
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy had urged Putin to show that he was serious about peace talks by agreeing to meet him face-to-face in Turkey. The Ukrainian leader said he was willing to fly to Turkey as Trump had urged him to meet his Russian counterpart. On Wednesday, however, the Kremlin announced that Putin would not attend. Russia’s delegation that traveled to Turkey mainly was made up of junior officials, dashing any hopes for a serious resolution.
Further Reading
Vladimir Putin Will Not Join Ukrainian Peace Talks In Turkey (Forbes)
Read the full article here