WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is inevitable, though he expressed frustration that it has yet to take place.

“It’s going to happen, but it should have happened three months ago. It’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House for Scotland when asked what would be required for the summit to materialize, possibly with his attendance.

The push for high-level talks follows the latest round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, which were held Wednesday in Istanbul.

Both sides exchanged proposals aimed at advancing the peace process, with Ukraine suggesting a leaders’ summit by the end of August.

The Kremlin, however, has maintained that a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would only be possible once the terms of a peace agreement are finalized. — Agencies