As peace talks are planned to happen in Turkey this week, President Donald Trump has suggested he might show up, saying casually, “I was thinking about flying over.”
On May 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C., Trump spoke at the White House while signing an order meant to cut drug prices by up to 80%. He explained that his plan ties U.S. drug prices to what other countries pay for the same medicines.
There were rumors last month that the U.S. might step away from efforts to help Ukraine and Russia end their war. But this week, Trump said he’s considering going to Turkey on Thursday to take part in peace talks between the two countries.
In April, Trump had said the U.S. would not keep trying to help with peace talks if Ukraine or Russia made it too hard to reach a deal. He had also claimed before that he could end the war in just one day.
At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the U.S. wouldn’t stay involved in peace efforts for too long, saying the country had other things to focus on.
Now it seems Trump is once again pushing for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement and stop the fighting.
On Monday, he said, “I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I’ll be on Thursday. I’ve got so many meetings. There’s a chance I could go if I think it’ll help.”
Trump also claimed he was the reason both sides agreed to meet in Turkey. He said, “I think it could be a good meeting. It wasn’t going to happen, and I made sure it did.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has supported the idea of Trump being involved in the talks. He said he’s ready to meet with Putin and would welcome Trump joining them in Turkey.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy publicly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet him in Istanbul on Thursday. So far, Putin hasn’t responded.
While Trump is thinking about attending the peace talks, he is also on a major foreign trip to the Middle East—his first of this term. He started in Saudi Arabia and plans to visit Qatar and the UAE next.
Russia has shown less interest in the meeting. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said they are looking for a long-term peace solution, but didn’t say if Russia will attend the meeting in Turkey.
Last week, a group of Western leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, warned Russia they would face tougher sanctions unless they agreed to a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. Russia rejected the demand but suggested direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul instead. That’s when Zelenskyy challenged Putin to attend in person.
Although Russia keeps saying it wants peace, Ukraine and its allies question how sincere they really are.
“We want to see that Russia truly wants peace. Peace takes two; war takes only one. And right now, Russia seems to want war,” said European Union Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas.
