Trump mulls joining Ukraine talks in Turkey

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was "thinking" about flying to Turkey for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia but the Kremlin was silent about whether Vladimir Putin would attend.

The meeting in Istanbul would be the first direct negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials since the early months of Moscow's invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed he will join, saying earlier he wanted Trump to be there and was ready for "direct and substantive negotiations with Putin".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is ready to host and urged the warring sides on Monday to seize the "window of opportunity" to reach a peace settlement.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, while Moscow's army now controls around one-fifth of the country -- including the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014.

Putin proposed the direct meeting as a counteroffer to a 30-day ceasefire put forward by Kyiv and its allies over the weekend, which Ukraine accused Russia of "completely ignoring" on Monday.

Trump told reporters earlier he would attend talks if he "thought it would be helpful".

"I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen," Trump told journalists at the White House prior to departing for a trip to the Middle East.

After Trump on Sunday publically called on Ukraine to sit down with Russia, Zelensky said he would be willing to meet Putin in Turkey "personally".

"We are ready for direct talks with Putin," the Ukrainian leader confirmed again on Monday, after a call with Erdogan.

But when asked who Russia would send to Istanbul, the Kremlin declined to comment.