U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he could still travel to Istanbul if Russia-Ukraine cease-fire talks showed progress.
"You know, if something happened, I'd go on Friday," Trump said at a meeting with Qatari officials and businessmen in the capital, Doha.
His comments came hours after a Russian delegation touched down in Istanbul to kick off the talks, the Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported.
"The Russian delegation has landed" in Istanbul, a source told the agency.
Initial reports suggested the meeting would kick off at 10 a.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT), the agency reported, citing sources close to the Russian negotiators.
The direct talks in Istanbul were proposed by Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin himself, but until recently, Putin had not confirmed whether he would attend in person.
