(MENAFN) United States Leader Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would "like" him to participate in the upcoming peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, leaving open the possibility of his involvement.

"I don’t know if he’s showing up. I know he would like me to be there. And that’s a possibility," Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump further explained, "I’ve been thinking about that. Now tomorrow, we’re all booked out, you understand that. We’re going to UAE tomorrow. So we have a very full situation. Now that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back. But yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out."

When asked about Putin’s handling of the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Trump replied, "I don’t know. I’ll let you know in a week. I’ll let you know in a few days."

Trump also remarked in Qatar that he believes "we're having some pretty good news coming out of there today and maybe tomorrow and maybe Friday, but we'll see about that."

Currently in Qatar for the second part of his Middle East tour, Trump is set to visit the UAE on Thursday, coinciding with the scheduled peace talks in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the Russian delegation will await their Ukrainian counterparts in Istanbul to continue peace talks that were interrupted in March 2022.

However, Peskov mentioned that Putin has not yet decided who will represent Moscow at the talks.

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