'As Soon As We Can Set It Up': Donald Trump Says Wants To Meet Vladimir Putin

(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would like to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin "as soon as we can set it up", during a business roundtable in Abu Dhabi, news agency AFP said.

"As soon as we can set it up I would actually leave here and go," Trump said in response to a question about meeting the Russian leader. "Let's see what happens with Russia and Ukraine," he added, referring to Russia-Ukraine talks taking place in Turkey.

Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years on Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war.

A Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was due to meet with a low-level Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

A meeting between Turkish, US and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul has begun, a Reuters report said citing a a Turkish foreign ministry source.

Ukraine has agreed to a US and European proposal for a full, 30-day ceasefire, however, Putin has effectively declined it by imposing far-reaching conditions. Ukrainian government and Western military analysts state Russian forces are Russian forces are gearing up for a fresh military offensive, AP reported.

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On Thursday, after Putin didn't take up Ukrainian president's challenge to sit down with him in the Turkish capital, Zelensky accused Moscow of not engaging in a serious effort to put the war to an end by sending a low-level negotiating team that he called as“a theater prop.”

Even so, Zelenskyy stated that he was sending a team led by his defense minister to Friday's meeting in Istanbul. That would exhibit Trump that Ukraine is firm to press ahead with peace efforts despite Russian foot-dragging, Zelenskyy mentioned, amid intense diplomatic moves by Kyiv and Moscow.

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Rubio stated he would discuss with Fidan on Friday in Istanbul and the Ukrainian delegation, asserting that the Russian delegation would be meeting with other members of the US team and that he expected all sides could get together.

“We don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Rubio informed reporters on Thursday in Antalya, Turkey.

(With inputs from agencies)

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