By Betsy Klein, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of scrapping his Middle East travel schedule — one his team meticulously crafted for weeks — and adding a stop to personally mediate Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey.
In comments to reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump continued to express interest in traveling to Turkey for a high-stakes possible Thursday meeting between Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia President Vladimir Putin, saying Wednesday that Putin would “like me to be there” and it remains “a possibility.”
Changing his travel schedule at this point would be a logistical nightmare, but the president is no stranger to upending plans at the last second. There were no obvious signs of schedule reorganization Wednesday, though it is likely that any presidential movement to Turkey would need to be kept under wraps until the last minute for security purposes.
And close observers of Trump know not to totally rule it out — he often telegraphs a decision in advance, sometimes publicly musing on the topic multiple times before he makes a final decision, as he’s done here. And the former reality TV star seems to be purposely injecting a “will he or won’t he” dynamic, one that keeps his supporters and even some of his closest aides and allies guessing.
Putin would “like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back,” Trump said in response to a question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins aboard Air Force One Wednesday.
He continued, “I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there.”
Trump is currently scheduled to be in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.
But the meeting’s most important attendees are still not yet confirmed. Putin has not yet agreed to attend despite proposing it himself. And Zelensky has said he wouldn’t hold talks with any Russian representative other than Putin himself.
Asked about Putin’s strategy and whether he still feels that the Russian leader is “tapping him along,” as he suggested in a previous post to social media, Trump told reporters he would let them know in a few days.
Trump first said on Monday that he was considering flying in to Turkey for the peace talks: “There’s a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen.”
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Diverting Trump’s Middle East trip to Turkey would be a logistical nightmare. Trump says it’s still ‘a possibility.’ News Channel 3-12.
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