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Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey for negotiations on May 15, potentially marking the first direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.
The Kremlin said it is preparing for the talks but has not revealed whether Putin will attend himself.
Trump expressed optimism about the potential meeting between the two leaders, suggesting he might attend as well. The U.S. president has just begun his four-day Middle Eastern tour.
"Thursday's meeting between Russia and Ukraine is very important. I strongly pushed for it to happen. I think good things can come from it," he said.
Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, and Witkoff, officially a Middle East envoy who also leads negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow, are expected to travel to Turkey to observe the talks regardless of whether Trump joins as well, CNN reported, citing sources.
Later, speaking to Fox Business, Kellogg said the meeting in Istanbul "could really be a superb meeting."
"We can get peace — and I really believe it could happen quickly if all three leaders sit down and talk," he said. "President Trump has the art of the deal. He knows how to make it work."
"If he shows up, Zelensky will be there. If Putin shows up, too, I think we're much closer to a deal than people realize. And the first step would obviously be a ceasefire."
An undisclosed senior administration official told the news outlet that Trump's attendance would largely depend on whether Putin would arrive as well.
Witkoff has held several meetings with Putin in Moscow and came under criticism for pushing Russian talking points on Ukraine and the war. Kellogg has been more closely engaged with Ukrainian officials, even publicly supporting Kyiv's call for an unconditional ceasefire.
Ukraine has welcomed Trump's potential participation but signaled Zelensky would not meet a lower-level Russian official if Putin declines to attend.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said that Putin might "delegate the technical and preparatory stages," but Ukraine understands "who is ultimately in charge." According to Yermak's advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, "only Putin can make a decision to continue the war or stop the war."
Ukraine and its European allies have urged an unconditional ceasefire starting on May 12 as the first step toward peace. Russia has ignored this proposal, continuing its attacks on Ukraine.
Asked by the Kyiv Independent whether Zelensky plans to make the trip even if Russia does not support the truce or if Putin declines to attend, a source close to the president said on May 12, "We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire."
The last face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky took place in 2019 in Paris during a Normandy Format summit. Since then, there have been no direct in-person meetings between the two leaders.
Chris York,
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