Trump ‘open’ for holding talks with Putin, Zelensky in Turkey, but on ONE CONDITION: What is it?

US President Donald Trump is open to an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold three-way peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian and Russian leaders, the White House said on Monday (Jun 2).

“The president has said he's open to it if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the Turkish President's proposal.

Following the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday (Jun 2), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Trump to approve more sanctions to “push” Russia into a full ceasefire.

The second round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations on Monday (Jun 2) has concluded in Istanbul, according to Russian state media. The negotiations lasted for an hour.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in the war, said Kyiv negotiator following the talks. The two nations also agreed to exchange prisoners of war who are severely wounded and those under the age of 25.

The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said that Ukrainian delegates have given Russian negotiators a list of hundreds of Ukrainian children “illegally deported” by Russia, demanding their return.

Following the negotiations in Istanbul, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Trump to approve more sanctions to “push” Russia into a full ceasefire.

“We really expect Trump to take strong steps,” he told reporters, calling for Washington to “push the Russians to the ceasefire with strong sanctions.”

Kyiv negotiator, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said that Russia rejected an unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine during the peace talks.

However, Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said that Moscow has proposed a partial ceasefire of “two to three days”.