WASHINGTON (TNND) — As the President concludes his Middle East visit, global conflicts remain at the forefront, with the U.S. aiming to lead diplomatic efforts to ease tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently called for direct peace talks with Ukraine but did not attend a scheduled meeting in Turkey, sending a delegation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believed meant Russia wasn't being serious about peace.

So far, I don’t have official information, but it looks phony, and we will see what to do and what our steps will be after talking to President Erdogan," said Zelenskyy shortly after he arrived in Turkey.

Other Russian officials reportedly disparaged Zelenskyy, calling him a "clown" and "pathetic loser" for insisting on Putin's presence. Top U.S. officials are also in Turkey, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, though the President decided against traveling there himself. He had briefly considered making a stop earlier in the week.

Nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together and obviously he wasn't going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there and I don't believe anything is going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together but we are going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying," President Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Critics argue that Putin's absence indicates a lack of commitment to peace.

"What a snub that is to the Ukrainians. Putin is not serious here, and I think crippling sanctions by the Europeans, by the PresidentI think that is likely where we’re going to be heading," Retired U.S. Army General Jack Keane told Fox Business.

During his Middle East visit, the President also addressed the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, suggesting progress while issuing a veiled threat.

"I think we're getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this. There are two steps is a very, very nice step and there's a violent step, the violence like people haven't seen before, and I hope we're not going to have to do this. I don't want to do the second step," he said.

The President has consistently stressed that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon for regional security reasons. In response, Iran's President dismissed the threats, labeling the President as naïve for expecting Iran to "back down against his demands."