The White House has confirmed that the United States’ former President Donald Trump has signed up to attend an organized peace summit in Turkey that will also see the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also wished to host the high-stakes meeting either in Istanbul or Ankara. “I desire to have Putin and Zelensky sit together in Istanbul or Ankara. Also, to invite Trump for this meeting as well,” Erdogan stated, as reported by Firstpost. He further suggested that actions would be taken after the development of the current diplomatic negotiations.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held a second round of talks in Istanbul. While important breakthroughs were not seen, the two sides agreed on the exchange of prisoners and bodies of deceased troops—a moment of agreement amidst ongoing hostilities.
The scheduled summit has generated international interest as a potential first step towards de-escalation, despite some remaining stumbling blocks to achieving peace.
