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Kremlin stays mum on whether Putin will meet Zelenskyy

(NYT) — The Kremlin declined to say Tuesday whether President Vladimir Putin of Russia would attend talks with Ukraine’s leader this week, after President Donald Trump floated the possibility of attending himself to push for a peace deal.

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Over the weekend, Putin called for direct talks with Ukraine, while ignoring demands by Kyiv and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire by Monday or face further sanctions. Trump then implored Ukraine to take the meeting, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkey to attend personally — challenging Putin to do the same.

But when asked Tuesday who would lead Russia’s delegation for the talks, the Kremlin spokesperson would not comment.

“As soon as the president sees it fit, we will announce” the delegation’s makeup, the spokesperson, Dmitry S. Peskov, told Russian news agencies.

Trump’s suggestion Monday that he, too, might travel to Turkey raised the stakes for the talks, which are expected to take place Thursday in Istanbul.

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in its efforts to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump recently questioned whether Putin really wanted to end the war.

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said Tuesday that Trump had made clear that he “expects” both Zelenskyy and Putin to be present for talks in Turkey.

“I believe that if Vladimir Putin refuses to come to Turkey, it will be the final signal that Russia does not want to end this war — that Russia is neither willing nor ready for any negotiations,” Yermak said in a statement.

Hasan Piker, popular Twitch streamer, detained at airport

(NYT) — Hasan Piker, a popular Turkish American online streamer, said he was stopped and questioned for hours about his political beliefs by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after flying back to the United States from overseas Sunday.

Piker, 33, said in a live broadcast Monday that he was asked about his job, his beliefs on the Gaza Strip and President Donald Trump and other topics he discusses on his livestreams while being held for two hours at an airport in Chicago.

Piker, who was born in the United States, said he was passing through Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that eases security checks for travelers deemed to be low-risk, when an agent asked him to step aside.

According to Piker, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent led him to an area that he described as a “detention center,” where he was taken into a room for questioning.

“It’s very obvious they knew who I was,” Piker said, using an expletive.

Piker has about 4.5 million followers combined on YouTube and Twitch. His fluency between culture and ideology has led many to brand him a Joe Rogan of the left.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement on social media that Piker’s “claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless.”

“Upon entering the country, this individual was referred for further inspection — a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and can apply for any traveler,” she said. “Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released.”