**US President Trump Left Hanging Over Putin’s Participation in Turkey Peace Talks**
U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed uncertainty over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend crucial peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on May 15.
Speaking from Air Force One, Trump told reporters that while Putin had invited him to the talks, he wasn’t sure if the Russian leader would actually show up. “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,” Trump said.
The peace talks are seen as a crucial step towards ending the ongoing conflict between Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian government. President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Putin to hold ceasefire talks in Turkey, which would mark the first direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022.
However, while Russia has confirmed that it will dispatch a delegation, they have refused to confirm whether Putin himself will be attending. Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky hinted that the composition of the delegation would be announced on May 14 evening.
**Moscow’s Representatives Identified**
According to sources close to the Kremlin, Moscow is planning to send Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, to represent Russia at the talks. Without confirming his own attendance, Ushakov stated that the delegation’s composition would be based on the range of political and technical issues that needed to be discussed.
**Trump Voices Optimism, Zelensky Sounds a Warning**
U.S. President Trump has expressed optimism about the potential meeting between Putin and himself, suggesting that he might even attend the talks. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sounded a warning, saying that if Putin does not show up or continues to play games, it would be clear that Russia is not serious about ending the war.
**A 30-Day Ceasefire Proposal Ignored**
Ukraine and its allies have called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12 as the first step towards peace. However, this proposal has been ignored by Russia.
The White House has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalled peace efforts, with a self-imposed 100-day deadline to broker a deal having passed. The U.S. president has been critical of both Ukraine and Russia for the deadlock in negotiations.
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