Trump stated that ‘nothing will move forward’ until he meets with Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that nothing will move forward in resolving the conflict in Ukraine until he personally meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One during his visit to Qatar.

“I’m not disappointed about anything. Why would I be disappointed? We just secured $4 trillion, and you’re asking about some delegation. I don’t even know anything about that delegation—I haven’t even looked into it. Listen, nothing is going to move off dead center until Putin and I meet. Understand? Obviously, he wasn’t planning to come. He was ready, but he thought I’d be coming too. And without me, he wasn’t going to show up. Whether you like it or not, I don’t believe anything real will happen until we meet in person. And that meeting will have to happen—because too many people are dying,” Trump said.

Earlier, Trump had stated he was not surprised by Putin’s absence from Istanbul, as he had not expected the Russian leader to attend the negotiations in Turkey.