Trump says he's unsure whether Putin will attend Ukraine peace talks in Turkey as Kremlin stays silent

U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 14 that he is unsure whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on May 15.

"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Putin to hold ceasefire talks in Turkey this week in what would be the first direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022.

Russia has confirmed that it will dispatch a delegation but declined to confirm Putin's participation. Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky hinted that the delegation's composition would be announced on the evening of May 14.

According to a former Russian official who spoke to the Washington Post, Moscow will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov.

Without confirming his attendance, Ushakov told journalists that the Russian delegation's composition will be based on the range of political and technical issues that should be discussed.

Trump has voiced optimism about the possible meeting of the two leaders and suggested he might attend as well.

"Thursday's meeting between Russia and Ukraine is very important. I strongly pushed for it to happen. I think good things can come from it," the U.S. president said earlier this week.

Zelensky welcomed Trump's potential participation while calling upon the U.S. leader to realize that Putin continues to manipulate and obstruct peace efforts. Ukraine and its allies have called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12 as the first step toward peace – a proposal ignored by Russia.

"If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war," Zelensky said in Kyiv on May 13.

The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts as the self-imposed 100-day deadline to broker a deal has passed. The U.S. president has been critical of both Ukraine and Russia, blaming them for the deadlock in the negotiations.