Speaking on Air Force One just hours after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov curtly confirmed Putin would not attend, Trump turned prickly when talk turned to the Russian leader. The president had just left Qatar and was headed for the United Arab Emirates when he fielded questions on the presidential aircraft.

President Donald Trump was not phased by Russian President Vladimir Putin opting not to attend peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Turkey, saying he did not expect Putin to go if he was not there.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that if President Trump attended the talks, it would put pressure on Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, to meet face-to-face.