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US envoy confirms Trump may visit Istanbul if Putin attends talks on Ukraine

Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin in the early hours of May 11, Putin urged Kiev to resume direct talks suspended in 2022, without preconditions

NEW YORK, May 13. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump may visit Istanbul if Russian leader Vladimir Putin attends the talks that are expected to be held there on May 15, US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said.

"We're hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting," he told Fox Business.

CNN reported earlier, citing a senior US administration official, that Trump’s "possible attendance remains an open question that will largely be dictated by whether his Russian counterpart attends."

Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin in the early hours of May 11, Putin urged Kiev to resume direct talks suspended in 2022, without preconditions. The plan is to start dialogue in Istanbul on May 15. Vladimir Zelensky, in turn, announced plans to travel to Turkey on Thursday. The statement came after US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to immediately accept Putin’s offer for talks.

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