As soon as Putin challenged — and Zelensky accepted — a face-to-face meeting in Turkey that would coincide with President Trump’s big Mideast trip, people started talking. Has President Trump been pushing for this meeting specifically because he would be in the neighborhood at the time? Would he shock the world with an unprecedented 3-way peace summit with the two warring leaders? The prospect of a monumental peace summit brokered personally by President Trump is not dead, as he indicated in front of reporters and cameras yesterday aboard Air Force One. He initially responded on Monday, before leaving for the Mideast, that his personal involvement in the high stakes meeting was being considered: At that point in the game, the two sides had agreed to meet. Putin proposed the meeting in Turkey after taking heat from President Trump for weeks. Shortly after, Zelensky agreed (though not without challenging and calling Putin out in the same breath) right after President Trump demanded he agree to the meeting with this Truth Social post: It was at that point that the President responded to a reporter’s question at the White House that he was indeed considering ‘flying over’, according to a same-day report in Newsweek: President Donald Trump, set to leave for the Middle East today, told reporters he may travel to Istanbul for peace talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. “I was thinking about flying over. I’m not sure where I’ll be on Thursday,” he said. “I have so many meetings… But there’s a possibility, I suppose, if I think something productive could happen.” He added that the meeting between Putin and Zelensky holds promise. “There’s the potential for a good meeting,” Trump said, emphasizing the importance of the event. President Trump, who is brokering the Russia-Ukraine peace process, has expressed both frustration and optimism in recent weeks, believing a deal to be near, but just out of reach because the two sides are holding things up. (Emphasis Added.) One X account I watch closely had already foreseen the possibility that the President would take a Thursday detour to Turkey for just such a meeting. @WarClandestine posted this intriguing thought last Sunday afternoon: I’m just spitballing, but hear me out. Trump is scheduled to be in the Middle East from Tuesday the 13th to Friday the 16th, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. What are the chances he makes a quick flight to Turkey while Putin and Zelensky are there? It’s… pic.twitter.com/sOaGxOJ72J — Clandestine (@WarClandestine) May 11, 2025 Today, the details of the big meetup in Turkey are starting to crystalize in to something less than hopeful. At least, that’s one take on the situation — but not the only take. Though Zelensky essentially guaranteed his presence at the meeting, openly daring Putin to show up in his fiery acceptance post, there are whispers that he may back out of joining the Ukrainian delegation. And the list of negotiators from the Russian side doesn’t include Putin, according to a French media outlet. An unnamed U.S. Official reportedly also said President Trump would not be joining the talks, according to a report today from France 24: Russian President Vladimir Putin was not on a list of negotiators the Kremlin published for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday, despite Kyiv insisting he attend and some allies calling on him to attend. The Kremlin late Wednesday named four negotiators – including a hawkish former culture minister – and four experts for the talks, set to take place on Thursday in Istanbul. US President Donald Trump is also not going to participate in the talks in Turkey, according to a US official who spoke after Putin announced the Russian delegation for the talks. Trump had toyed with the idea of going to Turkey if Putin would be there. But hold the phone — just yesterday, President Trump was still considering joining the talks. The White House’s Rapid Response X account shared President’s comments yesterday. Though he indicating that his schedule today (Thursday) would be “all booked”, he repeatedly left the door open to rerouting his plans and showing up to the talks in Turkey, instead. Here’s the video shared by his team yesterday taken onboard Air Force One: .@POTUS on potential peace talks between Presidents Putin and Zelensky in Turkey tomorrow: “Tomorrow, we’re all booked … That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back … I don’t know that [Putin] would be there if I’m not there.” pic.twitter.com/PmXeTgS5xM — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 14, 2025 It sounds like the media has decided to fix the President’s schedule in place, even while the President himself has consistently left the door open to attending the meeting if something important started to develop; which could be at any stage of the talks! He is actively pushing this meeting, and both leaders to show up, and in no uncertain terms saying he WOULD show up if it would make a difference. Here’s a longer clip of that conversation between the President and reporters to give a little more context published by the New York Post on YouTube: Meanwhile, in Russia… The Foreign Ministry basically called Zelensky an uneducated “tool” today: Russias foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova completely flames Zelensky for trying to undermine the Russian delegation in Turkiye. “A Clown, a Loser, a person of unknown education” pic.twitter.com/BPKOOE0Ps0 — Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) May 15, 2025 And as I write, word is coming in that a 5.8 earthquake just struck in Ankara, Turkey where the talks are currently ongoing. Apparently, Zelensky DID show up for the talks — and he endured the 5.8 earthquake alongside Turkish PM Erdogan. Check out this wild video, purportedly showing Zelensky leading the Ukrainian delegation to the peace talks hosted by Erdogan: First footage from Ankara, where a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck minutes ago. Zelensky and Erdoğan were holding talks there. pic.twitter.com/xGxchYPa5D — Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) May 15, 2025 It seems as though President Trump was right on the money in that earlier video I showed. He doubted that Putin would show up without assurances that would be there as well. I’m not surprised that Putin wouldn’t waste his time on Zelensky without President Trump there to push the Ukrainian in the right direction. But I am surprised that Zelensky showed up, true to his word — this time. The U.S. Dept. of State was seen disembarking the plane in Turkey earlier: BREAKING Secretary of State Marco Rubio just landed in Turkey for his HISTORIC face to face with Zelenskyy and possibly Vladimir Putin Trump’s Cabinet is working overtime PEACE through STRENGTH pic.twitter.com/wSMqKZme6X — MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) May 15, 2025 While Marco Rubio was seen leading the U.S. delegation as they arrived in Turkey, President Trump so far has not crashed the party. With Putin never committing to showing up in person, it may be that President Trump is simply applying pressure and waiting for the right components to align before playing his ‘Trump’ card — his own personal presence. It wouldn’t be surprising to see today’s talks turn in to a framework for another round of bigger talks with a more predetermined attendee list… that doesn’t just include both heads of the warring nations. When he finally does bring the two sides to agreement, I fully expect it to happen in grand Trump form — in person, with THREE sides signing on the dotted line. President Trump has a penchant for timing, and patience. But he also has a penchant for BIG BOLD MOVES. Given his comments yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Air Force One is airborne with a northwesterly heading. All it would take is word from Rubio that a deal is close.  And I don’t think Rubio is in town because of the Turkish coffee. He’s there to do work, and get results.  And if he does, President Trump has made it clear that he would be instructing the pilots to file an altered flight path. I’m watching the wires close; you’ll know when I know.