Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey early Thursday for scheduled peace talks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not show up.
Zelensky hammered the Russian delegation upon landing in Ankara, calling it a “sham.”
“I don’t officially know the level of the Russians yet. But from what we see, it looks like a sham,” Zelensky said Thursday. “We will think about what we will do, what steps we will take, after talking with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan.”
“We will understand the level of the Russian delegation, what their mandate is, whether they are able to make at least something themselves,” he added. “Everyone knows who makes decisions in Russia.”
On Monday, Zelensky said on X that he would join the scheduled peace talks.
“Ukraine has always supported diplomacy. I am ready to come to Türkiye. Unfortunately, the world still has not received a clear response from Russia to the numerous proposals for a ceasefire,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X. “[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye.”
Asked earlier on Monday about whether he would attend the peace talks, Trump said he might attend if his presence is needed to move the negotiations forward.
“I think you may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said. “I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday – I’ve got so many meetings. But I was actually thinking about flying over there. There’s a possibility if I think things can happen. But we got to get it done.”
The Kremlin then late Wednesday announced that a lower-level delegation, including aides and deputy ministers, would make the trip, confirming that Putin would not be there.
“I actually said, ‘Why would he go if I’m not going?’” Trump said. “I would go, but I wasn’t planning to go, and I said, ‘I don’t think he’s going to go if I don’t go.’”
The president left the door open for traveling to Turkey on Friday but also mentioned that he has a packed schedule during his ongoing Middle East trip.
“If something happened, I would go on Friday if it was appropriate,” he said.
President Trump, who has pushed for ending the three-year conflict, told reporters during a gaggle Thursday that he was not surprised Putin did not show, citing his own absence.
