Vladimir Putin rejected calls to join direct talks with Ukraine's leader in Turkey, seemingly unphased by mounting pressure from Trump to strike a peace deal.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky might meet Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday – if the Russian leader decides to show up for a summit that he himself suggested.

Russian officials say Russia’s delegation has arrived in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine. However, President Vladimir Putin was not part of the delegation, according to a list released by the Kremlin Wednesday night,

Ukrainian and Russian representatives will meet in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, for their first meeting since the opening weeks of Moscow's 3-year-old invasion.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he discussed the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow, days after a U.N. report found Russia responsible for the disaster.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated they would not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years on Thursday, with the Kremlin sending instead a group of experienced technocrats.

Ukraine had framed Zelensky's demand for a face-to-face meeting with Putin as a test of Russia's true willingness to negotiate peace. Arriving in Turkey, he slammed the Russian delegation as "theatrical" and contrasted it to Ukraine's high-level group.

Vladimir Putin has admitted a key problem with Russia's economy as the country misses an oil target. The President underscored at a meeting with members of the Business Russia Association yesterday that one of the key issues is high inflation,