Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor U.S. President Donald Trump look likely to attend peace talks that were due to be held in Turkey on Thursday. Putin had suggested last Sunday that he was willing to hold "direct negotiations" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul this week "without any preconditions.

By refusing to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will destroy his propaganda narratives about Ukraine, as the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov told reporters.