US President Donald Trump on Sunday welcomed a proposal by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul starting on Thursday.
“A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end. It will be a whole new, and much better, WORLD,” Trump said on social media.
Trump went on to say that he will continue to work with both Moscow and Kyiv to “make sure that it happens.”
“A BIG week upcoming!” he added, touting a shift in focus to rebuilding and trade.
At an overnight news conference in Moscow, Putin proposed the resumption of direct peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in the Turkish metropolis starting Thursday.
Putin further said he has talks scheduled with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “tomorrow” to ask him to greenlight holding negotiations in the country.
Erdoğan, a longtime champion of resolving the conflict, has repeatedly offered for Türkiye to host peace talks and do whatever it can to promote a resolution. Türkiye has the distinction of enjoying good relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
In response to the proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that Kyiv is ready to hold direct talks with Russia once Moscow confirms a “full, lasting, and reliable” ceasefire in his country starting on Monday.