During a recent business roundtable in Qatar, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin from the proposed peace talks in Turkey. Trump explained that he didn’t expect Putin to attend unless he was present, stating, “I didn’t think Putin could go if I’m not there.”
Trump had previously mentioned he might attend the talks if Putin agreed to participate, but he later backtracked, saying he wasn’t planning to attend the meeting in the first place. He noted, “I said, why would he go if I’m not going? Because I wasn’t going to go. I would go, but I wasn’t planning to go.”
The statement comes amid global efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022. The conflict has led to significant casualties, widespread destruction, and a severe humanitarian crisis. Trump’s comments align with recent signals from Putin suggesting Russia’s openness to peace talks with Ukraine under certain conditions. The Kremlin has proposed Turkey as a possible location for negotiations, given its diplomatic relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has supported this initiative, having hosted early talks between the two sides in 2022. While those discussions ultimately failed, Erdoğan continues to promote Turkey’s role as a neutral mediator in the ongoing conflict.
Despite Putin’s openness to dialogue, Ukraine and its allies remain cautious, skeptical of Russia’s true intentions, especially with Moscow’s insistence on keeping the territories it occupies in Ukraine. Trump has frequently emphasized his close relationship with Putin and asserted that the war would not have happened if he had still been in office, positioning himself as a potential key figure in any future diplomatic solution.
