ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� President said Friday he's moving to set up direct talks with Russian President as soon as he can, after Putin opted to skip in Turkey.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 time for us to just do it,鈥� Trump told reporters as he wrapped a four-day visit to the Middle East.
Trump later told reporters after boarding Air Force One to begin the journey back to Washington that he may call Putin soon.
鈥淗e and I will meet, and I think we鈥檒l solve it or maybe not,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎t least we鈥檒l know. And if we don鈥檛 solve it, it鈥檒l be very interesting.鈥�
Trump reiterated that he wasn鈥檛 surprised that Putin skipped out on the talks set for Friday in Turkey. Putin didn鈥檛 want to go because he鈥檚 not there, Trump said.
The Republican president added that he would hold a meeting with Putin 鈥渁s soon as we can set it up.鈥�
鈥淚 would actually leave here and go,鈥� said Trump, who noted his daughter Tiffany just gave birth to her first child. 鈥淚 do want to see my beautiful grandson.鈥�
Ukrainian President agreed to take part in the talks as Trump pressed for the leaders to find a solution to the war, ongoing since . But Putin spurned the call to meet face-to-face with Zelenskyy.
Trump has pressed both sides to quickly come to a war-ending agreement. Zelenskyy has agreed to an American plan for an initial 30-day halt to hostilities, but Russia has not signed on and has continued to strike at targets inside Ukraine.
Still, Russia and Ukraine their in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for negotiations. Officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the .
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 go, and I understand that,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get it done. We got to get it done. Five thousand young people are being killed every single week on average, and we鈥檙e going to get it done.鈥�
Trump on Thursday told reporters that a meeting between himself and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe anything鈥檚 going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying."
Zeke Miller And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
