According to unnamed European diplomats, Trump’s involvement has shifted the dynamics of potential peace negotiations. Suddenly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy felt compelled to accept Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s invitation to negotiate in Istanbul on May 15, fearing that rejecting the overture might irritate Trump.
Putin made the proposal to avoid alienating the U.S. president and to counter mounting European pressure on Washington for firmer sanctions. Western diplomats, however, do not believe Trump is acting in concert with Kremlin officials.
Arriving in Kyiv on May 10, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland were tasked with pushing Trump to acknowledge that Putin is stalling his pish for a peace settlement. They argued that Washington has no choice but to impose large-scale economic sanctions if a ceasefire deal is to be reached.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has already drafted a broad sanctions package, which enjoys wide support in Congress. Meanwhile, on May 9, EU foreign ministers met in Lviv and announced plans to create a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leadership for crimes of aggression. The United Kingdom also introduced new sanctions against what it termed Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.
Partly because of Trump’s insistence on immediate peace talks without getting a ceasefire in place first, London postponed its new sanctions package, which was due to be announced on May 12. At the same time, the EU continues working on a 17th sanctions package expected to be adopted by the end of May.
However, the real disruption could come from US sanctions—not only for their economic impact but also for the political symbolism of Trump identifying Putin as the chief obstacle to peace.
European leaders meeting in London on May 12 are now awaiting word on whether Putin will travel personally to Istanbul for talks with Zelenskyy. In 2022, Russia’s delegation in Turkey was led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Putin’s personal presence could be seen as a concession to the pressure Trump is exerting.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sidestepped direct questions about a possible Zelenskyy–Putin meeting, saying Moscow is “focused on finding serious ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement.”
A key demand from European leaders is that Putin agrees to a 30-day ceasefire before negotiating in Istanbul.