US President, Donald Trump has disclosed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, for potential Thursday talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Trump said during remarks at a Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that he has been working relentlessly to end the terrible bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine.
“And, very importantly, talks are being held in Turkey later this week, probably on Thursday, and they could produce some pretty good results.
“Our people are going to be going there, Marco is going to be going there, others are going to be going and we’ll see if we can get it done.”
Donald Trump
Trump’s possible attendance remained an open question that will largely be dictated by whether Putin attends, according to a senior administration official.
Trump floated the idea Monday, saying, “I don’t know where I’m going to be on Thursday, I’ve got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there.” He added, “There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen.”
Whether Trump attends or not, US Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff both plan to be in Istanbul for the talks, the administration official said.
Trump will be traveling to Qatar for the next leg of his Middle East trip after meetings in Riyadh.
He is expected to informally greet Syria President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh, a White House official confirmed — a significant moment for US-Syria relations.
Zelenskyy raised the stakes ahead of a potential meeting with Putin on Thursday by saying he wouldn’t hold talks with any Russian representative other than the President himself.
The Kremlin has so far refused to say whether Putin, or anyone else, would go.
Zelenskyy Repeats Vow To Wait In Turkey For Face-To-Face Talks With Putin
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down on his promise to wait in Turkey on Thursday for face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin, calling it a test of Russia’s willingness to pursue peace.
Speaking to journalists in Kyiv today, Tuesday 13, 2025, Zelenskyy said that he planned to wait for Putin in Ankara alongside the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, adding that he would travel to Istanbul if Putin opted to hold the meeting there.
“If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Over the weekend, Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, while dismissing demands by Kyiv and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire by Monday or face further sanctions.
Washington has been pressing Ukraine to attend the talks in Turkey, despite European calls for Russia to first agree to a month-long ceasefire.
Zelenskyy said that Trump had been invited to the talks because “it would give an additional push for Putin to fly in.”
Zelenskyy said that he would “do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with [Putin] that I must negotiate a ceasefire, as only he can decide on it.”
The Ukrainian leader urged the US to introduce its hardest-hitting package of sanctions if Putin rejected the call to meet in Turkey. “He [Putin] is afraid of direct negotiations with me,” Zelenskyy said.
The Kremlin declined on Tuesday to confirm whether Putin would attend the talks in Istanbul.
However, senior Russian lawmakers suggested this week that he was unlikely to travel and would instead send a high-level delegation.
The Kremlin Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Tuesday morning, “The Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations.”
When asked about the talks and Zelenskyy’s demand that the Russian president attend, Peskov said, “We are not going to comment any more yet.”
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