President Donald Trump is headed to the Middle East Monday on what’s being billed as his “first major international trip,” although sharp-eyed readers will note that he did go to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral in late April. On this latest weeklong journey, though, he’s scheduled to meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Adding an interesting wrinkle, however, is that Russian President Vladimir Putin will possibly be meeting one-on-one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey on Thursday to try to negotiate an end to their horrific, endless war. What if the U.S. president dropped by?

Trump isn’t ruling it out:

Trump, who is expected to be in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, suggested that he could make a detour to Turkey, if he thinks his presence might be helpful.

“I was thinking about flying over. I don’t know where I am going be on Thursday,” Trump said. “I’ve got so many meetings … There’s a possibility there I guess if I think things can happen.”

Trump added there is “the potential for a good meeting” between Putin and Zelenskyy.

“Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkey, President Erdogan is the great host,” Trump said.

Trump says there is a chance he will fly to Turkey to join the meeting between Ukraine and Russia! pic.twitter.com/YMBE4KxVIf

— Ali (@MerruX) May 12, 2025

More: New: Zelensky Agrees to Go Face-to-Face With Putin on Thursday

Essex Files: Putin’s Peace Push: New Hope for Ukraine Talks in Istanbul

Such a meeting between three powerful leaders would be interesting indeed.

It's been a busy few days for the president:

U.S. stocks are leaping in early trading after China and the United States announced a 90-day truce in their trade war. Also Monday, Trump signed a sweeping executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits over what the government will pay.

In the meantime, what is the purpose of this trip? According to the White House, it’s to shore up alliances in the volatile region. He’s also looking for deals and investments from those countries:

Arriving in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday with stops in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, later in the week, the trip echoes Trump’s first international foray in 2017.

“Now, eight years later, President Trump will return to reemphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous, and successful Middle East, where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationships, and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, casting the trip as a “historic return to the Middle East.”

Of course, as RedState’s Katie Jerkovich reported Friday, the hopelessly biased DC press corps tried to make it look like the president had sinister motives. Press Secretary Leavitt shut them down quickly:

Karoline Leavitt rips into a reporter who asked if President Trump was going to the Middle East for personal financial gain.

"This is a President who has actually lost money being President of the US." pic.twitter.com/V7ugszEJiz

— Media Research Center (@theMRC) May 9, 2025

More: Watch: Karoline Leavitt Destroys Reporter Questioning Trump’s Executive Powers

It would certainly be a high-stakes moment for Trump if he made his way to Turkey and negotiated directly with Putin and Zelensky. We’ll keep you posted.