Ukraine would like U.S. President Donald Trump to be present at a potential meeting between President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told journalists.

Russian officials have already been preparing for Putin to reject the meeting, with Moscow claiming a sit-down with Zelensky would only amount to “pure spectacle.”

The president said he's optimistic about Thursday's expected talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.

Ukraine admits that the upcoming meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin may be in an expanded format, and would very much like US President Donald Trump to join it.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged US counterpart Donald Trump to help secure a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday, while accusing the Russian leader of not seriously wanting to end the war.

The Kremlin said Saturday a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both sides reach an agreement, a day after the first direct talks between the two countries in more than three years.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.

That meeting wasn’t going to take place,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I insisted that that meeting take place, and it is taking place.”