Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky says Putin ‘scared’ to meet him face-to-face in high stakes Turkey talks

Key Points

• Volodymyr Zelensky says Vladimir Putin ‘scared’ to meet him
• Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official
• Donald Trump suggests he could join Putin and Zelensky in Turkey
• Fighting continues on frontline despite proposed ceasefire, says Ukrainian military
• How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky’s Putin challenge

Zelensky hopes to attend Pope Leo's inaugural Mass, top aide says

Volodymyr Zelensky plans to attend the inaugural Mass of newly elected Pope Leo at the Vatican on Sunday, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff has said.

“He is planning to come, but you know that before [Sunday] we have some other very important meetings,” Andriy Yermak told Reuters, referring to possible peace talks in Turkey this week.

“Of course during war it’s difficult to be sure, but I know that he will be happy to be in Rome on this day,” he added.

Russian economy in worse shape than Moscow says, analysts warn

The Russian economy is in an increasingly precarious state as a result of its shift to a war footing and of Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a report prepared for EU finance ministers has warned.

The report by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) said that while still relatively stable, the Russian economy was only superficially resilient and that underlying imbalances and structural weaknesses were growing.

“The fiscal stimulus of the war economy has kept the economy afloat in the short term, but the reliance on opaque financing, distortionary resource allocation, and shrinking fiscal buffers makes it unsustainable in the long term. Contrary to Kremlin narratives, time is not on Russia’s side,” it said.

Keen to show that Western sanctions are pointless, Russia says its GDP grew 4.3 per cent in 2024 after 3.6 per cent expansion in 2023.

But Torbjorn Becker, who presented the SITE report to EU finance ministers, said Russian GDP numbers could not be trusted because Moscow was most likely strongly understating inflation which affected real GDP calculations.

“Russia claims inflation is 9-10 per cent. Why would they then have a policy rate of 21 per cent at the central bank? Which regular central bank would have a policy rate that’s basically 11.50 percentage points higher than the inflation rate? If any of our central banks were doing something like that, they would be out of their job the next day,” Mr Becker told reporters.

“That's a very clear indication that inflation may not actually be the right number. If you understate inflation, you will then overstate real GDP numbers,” he said.

Trump says potential Turkey meeting ‘could produce pretty good results’

Speaking at an investor conference in Riyadh, Donald Trump has said potential talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey on Thursday “could produce some pretty good results”.

Telling those in attendance on Tuesday that he has been working “relentlessly” to end the bloodshed in Ukraine, the US president said: “We’ll see if we can get it done.”

New Trump envoy warns Nato members must invest in their defence ‘like they mean it’

The US wants to hear this week how Nato’s European members and Canada plan to boost defence investment to 5 per cent of GDP, Donald Trump’s new envoy Matthew Whitaker has said.

In 2023, Nato leaders agreed to spend at least 2 per cent of GDP on national defence budgets. So far, 22 of the 32 member countries have done so. The leaders will set a new goal at a summit in The Hague on 25 June.

Briefing reporters ahead of a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, Mr Whitaker insisted that “5 per cent is our number”, adding: “We’re asking our allies to invest in their defence like they mean it".

“Make no mistake, this ministerial is going to be different,” he said, adding that “5 per cent is not just a number, it is a necessity for our security. The alliance is facing significant threats.”

Rubio to attend Russia-Ukraine talks this week, Trump says

US secretary of state Marco Rubio will attend talks between Ukraine and Russia that are scheduled to be held in Turkey on Thursday, US president Donald Trump has said.

The talks could produce some good results, Mr Trump said during a speech in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky on his way to Turkey’s Ankara, Ukraine embassy in Turkey says

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is traveling to Turkey’s capital Ankara ahead of possible talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Istanbul later this week, Kyiv’s embassy in Turkey has said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Zelensky told reporters that he would first meet Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would then head to Istanbul if Mr Putin also arrives there.

Mr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that only face-to-face talks can bring about the ceasefire necessary for peace negotiations to begin in earnest, “because “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin.

Trump envoy claims peace can be struck ‘pretty fast’ if Putin attends Turkey talks

Donald Trump’s envoy Keith Kellogg has suggested that Thursday’s meeting in Istanbul could be “absolutely incredible” – if Vladimir Putin shows up.

“We're hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there,” Mr Kellogg, a retired US Army general who is also reportedly due to travel to Turkey on Thursday, told Fox Business Network in an interview.

“This could be an absolutely incredible meeting,” he said. “We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”

Mr Trump had said on Monday he would fly to Istanbul for the meeting if necessary. He is in the Middle East region this week for meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Russia expects direct contact with Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, minister says

Russia expects direct contact between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations during talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.

His claims, reported by Russian state news agency Tass, come after he was reported to have claimed that Moscow is ready for serious talks on Ukraine but doubts Kyiv is ready for negotiation.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will attend the talks in Istanbul if Vladimir Putin is also present – but the Kremlin has so far declined to comment when asked whether the Russian president will attend.

Ukraine calls on Brazil to help persuade Putin to attend Turkey talks

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has urged Brazil to help persuade Vladimir Putin to attend this week’s talks in Istanbul and to support Kyiv’s push for a 30-day ceasefire.

In a call with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, Mr Sybiha said he had “reaffirmed President Zelensky’s readiness to meet with Putin in Turkiye and called on Brazil to use its authoritative voice in its dialogue with Russia to make this direct highest-level meeting happen”.

Ceasefire must precede peace negotiations warns Ukraine

Ukraine has repeated its insistence that a ceasefire should come before peace talks can begin in earnest, as Volodymyr Zelensky challenges Vladimir Putin to meet him face-to-face in Turkey this week.

“Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first,” Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on Tuesday.

Negotiations are impossible while “the Ukrainian people are under attack by Russian missiles and drones around the clock”, Mr Yermak said in a video address to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025.

European Council chief says Serbia's leader has vowed to stay on EU path despite Russia trip

European Council president António Costa has criticised Serbia’s populist president Aleksandar Vucic’s trip to Russia’s Victory Day ceremonies last week – but said that he received assurances that the Balkan nation nonetheless will remain on the path toward EU accession.

Mr Costa said in Belgrade – at the start of his tour of six Western Balkan membership hopefuls – that “a lot of people asked me not to come” to Serbia. But he said that he decided to come, and that he wanted to “clarify” Mr Vucic's visit to Moscow last week.

Mr Vucic “explained to me it was a moment to celebrate an event from the past”, he said.

“We cannot rewrite the history, and fully understand that Serbia celebrates liberation” by Soviet troops, Mr Costa said, before referring to the Russia-Ukraine war. “But we cannot celebrate the liberation 80 years ago and don’t condemn an invasion of another country today.”

Now, Mr Costa said, “we can reaffirm, and it’s important to hear from him (Vucic) to publicly reaffirm, that he is fully committed with the European Union and with the accession path.”

Ivana Bzganovic reports:

Trump envoys to travel to Turkey for Russia-Ukraine talks, sources say

Donald Trump’s senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul for potential talks on Thursday on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the plans have told Reuters.

However, the news agency cited a senior US official as saying it was unclear whether anyone from Moscow would show up, and that Washington does not expect an announcement about Russia’s plans until early on Thursday morning.

US officials are hoping Russia will agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire, the senior US official said, adding that Kyiv has already agreed to abide by such a deal. The ceasefire is also backed by the Europeans, the official said.

While Mr Kellogg, a retired US general, was reported in March to have been removed from high-level peace talks at the request of the Kremlin, Mr Witkoff – a former real estate mogul – has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv’s allies with his proximity to the Kremlin, having met with Mr Putin multiple times in recent months in Moscow.

Watch: Ukrainians distrustful of Putin’s motives behind talks with Kyiv

Zelensky says only meeting Putin face-to-face can deliver peace

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he wants to negotiate an unconditional 30-day ceasefire face-to-face with Vladimir Putin at this week's talks in Istanbul because only the Russian leader could enact such a pause.

Accusing Putin of being “scared” of meeting him, Mr Zelensky said he expects “strong sanctions” from the US and European Union if the talks do not take place – warning that a failed meeting would show that Russia was not ready for diplomacy.

Mr Zelensky told reporters that because “absolutely everything in Russia” depends on Mr Putin, the only way to secure a ceasefire and an end to the war was through direct talks with him.

“If he takes the step to say he is ready for a ceasefire then it opens the way to discussing all the elements to end the war,” he said.

“I’m not even mentioning that he is scared of direct talks with me,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that he will first meet Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara for talks and would head to Istanbul if Mr Putin arrived there.

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had invited Donald Trump to Thursday’s meeting but had yet to confirm his attendance. Mr Trump offered on Monday to join the prospective talks while he was travelling in the region.

The Ukrainian leader also said China had signalled it supported a 30-day ceasefire, which Mr Zelensky says is necessary before any peace talks can happen.

(Getty)

Putin ‘prevaricating’ and ‘obfuscating’ on peace talks, says Lammy

Vladimir Putin is “prevaricating” and “obfuscating” on peace talks with Ukraine, the UK’s foreign secretary David Lammy has said.

Speaking in the Commons, Tory MP and former foreign secretary James Cleverly asked Mr Lammy what steps the UK was taking to ensure that Donald Trump remains “committed to defending territorial integrity”, and to ensure the White House understands that allowing Mr Putin to “prosper” in Ukraine will embolden future invasions.

Mr Lammy replied: “[Mr Cleverly] will have seen that the prime minister was with President Zelensky and other European partners, he will have noted that they engaged with President Trump.

“We welcome the desire to get an enduring peace but there must be a ceasefire in order to engage in those talks, it seems to me.

“And it is Putin that is prevaricating, it is Putin that is obfuscating, and we must call that out with our long experience of scrutinising that particular individual.”

Russia is ready for serious talks on Ukraine, Ryabkov claims

Russian deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has claimed that Russia is ready for serious talks on Ukraine – but that Moscow doubts Kyiv is ready for negotiation.

“It is premature to make predictions,” Mr Ryabkov was quoted by Russian state news agencies as saying. “The question should be addressed to the sponsors of the Kyiv regime and Kyiv itself: are they ready to negotiate?”

“We have a firm impression that with the current approach, the word that can characterise the line of these figures is non-agreement,” state news agency Tass quoted him as saying.

Mr Ryabkov said the realities “on the ground” in the context of the conflict in Ukraine should be recognised, including the incorporation of what Moscow calls “new territories” into Russia, RIA reported.

After launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia then sought in September 2022 to illegally annexe four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzia and Kherson. Despite still only holding partial control over these regions, which are still subject to some of the war’s fiercest fighting, Moscow is pushing for Kyiv to concede them.

Germany’s Merz threatens Russia with fresh EU sanctions

The European Union is ready to impose tighter sanctions on Russia if progress on ending the war in Ukraine is not made this week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said.

Warning that a new package of sanctions has been prepared, Mr Merz told reporters: “We are waiting for Putin’s agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions.

“We will be looking at other areas, such as the energy sector and also the financial market.”

(AP)

EU foreign policy chief says Russia not truly interested in peace in Ukraine

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that she does not believe Russia is truly interested in establishing peace in Ukraine.

“I don't think they are interested in peace. They are still bombing Ukraine. If they were interested in peace, they could stop right now,” Ms Kallas told reporters at a democracy summit in Copenhagen.

“Russia is clearly playing games, trying to buy time,” she said.

(EPA-EFE)

Kremlin declines to comment on whether Putin will attend Turkey talks

The Kremlin has declined to comment on whether Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkey to attend peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

Mr Putin proposed on Sunday that direct talks with Ukraine should take place, and – after US president Donald Trump publicly told Mr Zelensky to accept, the Ukrainian president said that he would go but that Mr Putin should attend in person too.

“The Russian side continues to prepare for the negotiations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the talks and Mr Zelensky’s demand that Mr Putin attend.

“We are not going to comment any more yet.”

When asked directly who would represent Russia at the talks, Mr Peskov said: “As soon as the president sees fit, we will announce it.”

(EPA)

Zelensky will only attend talks if Putin does, his aide says

President Volodymyr Zelensky will only attend talks on Ukraine if Russia's Vladimir Putin is also there, the Ukrainian leader's top aide said today, challenging the Kremlin to show it is genuine about seeking peace.

"President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters today.

His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Mr Zelensky's trip to Turkey showed Kyiv was ready for talks but repeated Ukraine's stance that any negotiations must come after a ceasefire.

"Our position is very principled and very strong," Mr Yermak said during a visit to Copenhagen.

Moscow has not said if the Russian leader will travel to Turkey and settle the war with Ukraine.

Donald Trump, who is due to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week, has also unexpectedly offered to travel to Istanbul, to mediate the peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives.

(Getty Images)

Putin says ‘no’ to a ceasefire, but ‘yes’ to talks with Zelensky – what is he up to?

Vladimir Putin’s 2am press conference on Sunday was not just theatre, it was his latest salvo in the psychological battle to shape global perceptions of who is truly to blame for Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Russia was ready for peace talks in Turkey this Thursday, Putin said, with no conditions attached. That meant no ceasefire as a prelude to talks.

Volodymyr Zelensky took the wind out of Putin’s sails by replying that he was willing to break the Ukrainian taboo on negotiating with the Kremlin so long as it occupied its territory. He even said in his television address: “We are prepared to end the war.”

That was a big concession to the invader, but it was accompanied by a demand that Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire – also demanded by the four European leaders whom Zelensky had just met.

By declaring that he would be waiting for him in Istanbul, and daring Putin to meet him face to face for the first time since 2019, Zelensky was throwing down a challenge. It could yet blow up in either leader’s face.

How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge

While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.

In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.

"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.

If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.

Is Putin going to talks in Turkey? Kremlin answers

Russia will announce who is attending the proposed peace talks in Turkey when president Vladimir Putin sees fit to, the Kremlin said on this morning.

It declined to comment on questions about whether or not Mr Putin would attend himself.

The Russian leader on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine aimed at ending the war, and, after US president Donald Trump publicly told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to accept, Mr Zelensky said he would but that Mr Putin should attend in person.

German defence minister pushes for fresh Russia sanctions

The West must increase its sanctions on Russia as well as its military support to Ukraine after Russia did not agree to an immediate ceasefire on Monday, German defence minister Boris Pistorius said today.

"There needs to be further steps as regards sanctions as well as additional support for Ukraine since (Russian president Vladimir) Putin, as was to be expected, is behaving as usual in such a situation," Mr Pistorius told reporters in Berlin.

Everything we know about Russia and Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

Ukraine and Russia are set to meet in Turkey for peace talks three years after initial talks in the country broke down, with US president Donald Trump suggesting he could fly in to join the negotiations.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has also announced that he will be in Istanbul for the talks, due to start on Thursday, and has called for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him there.

Who will be attending?

The person who has been most vocal about his attendance is Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. He wrote on social media earlier this week that he supports Mr Trump’s calls for direct talks with Mr Putin.

Tom Watling reports:

Macron rubbishes cocaine train claims: ‘Fake news spread by France’s enemies’

France has shut down a wild conspiracy peddled by the Russian foreign ministry that Europe’s leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, were doing cocaine together on a train into Ukraine.

The claims centre on a video in which French president Emmanuel Macron picks up a white tissue from a table and German chancellor Friedrich Merz retrieves a coffee stirrer. Sir Keir is seen smiling on the opposite side of the table.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote a lengthy diatribe on social media site Telegram over the weekend in which she claimed the video was evidence that the trio had spent the train journey doing cocaine and had forgotten to remove the drug paraphernalia. She claimed the tissue was a bag of cocaine and the stirrer was a spoon used to consume the drugs.

What has Trump said about gatecrashing Putin-Zelensky meeting in Turkey this week

Donald Trump has suggested he could join Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet for peace talks there.

“You may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey … and I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I've got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen, but we've got to get it done,” Mr Trump said in the White House yesterday.

Mr Trump’s current schedule has him visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week.

The US president added that he insisted that the meeting between the two leaders takes place.

“I think you’re going to have … maybe a good meeting, you have the potential for a good meeting. A meeting wasn’t going take place, and I insisted that that meeting take[s] place...,” Mr Trump said.

Zelensky will only attend talks if Putin does, his aide says

President Volodymyr Zelensky will only attend talks on Ukraine if Russia's Vladimir Putin is also there, the Ukrainian leader's top aide said today, challenging the Kremlin to show it is genuine about seeking peace.

"President Zelensky will not meet with any other Russian representative in Istanbul, except Putin," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters today.

His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Mr Zelensky's trip to Turkey showed Kyiv was ready for talks but repeated Ukraine's stance that any negotiations must come after a ceasefire.

"Our position is very principled and very strong," Mr Yermak said during a visit to Copenhagen.

Moscow has not said if the Russian leader will travel to Turkey and settle the war with Ukraine.

Donald Trump, who is due to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week, has also unexpectedly offered to travel to Istanbul, to mediate the peace talks with Ukrainian and Russian representatives.

Ukraine will host leaders of the coalition of the willing for talks on Saturday, Volodymyr Zelensky has said (Peter Nicholls/PA) (PA Wire)

Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official

President Volodymyr Zelensky will only meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Turkey on Thursday and not any other member of a Russian delegation, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said this morning.

Mr Zelensky has said he is ready to meet in Istanbul for a summit to end the war, accepting Mr Putin’s offer of direct talks.

The latest statement from Kyiv doubles down on Mr Zelensky’s offer to meet Mr Putin personally to gauge if Russia is indeed serious about ending the war in Ukraine.

Last night, US president Donald Trump offered to join the proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

Russia launches its smallest overnight attack this year

Russia launched just 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in night-time attacks, the Ukrainian air force said this morning.

That makes it the smallest overnight aerial bombardment this year at a time when the warring countries are preparing for the possibility of peace talks in Turkey.

The Kremlin hasn't directly responded to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's challenge for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him in person at the negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday.

Mr Zelensky will not be meeting with any Russian officials in Istanbul other than Mr Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Mr Zelensky, said this morning on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.

Lower-level talks would amount to simply "dragging out" any peace process, Mr Podolyak said.

European leaders have recently accused Mr Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he attempts to press his bigger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.

Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders from Monday (yesterday), when it fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine.

Mr Putin instead offered direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday.

An explosion of a drone is seen during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv (Reuters)

Zelensky seeks Trump's presence at Turkey talks

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has backed Donald Trump’s presence at peace talks in Istanbul this week, saying Ukraine has “always supported diplomacy” and that he is “ready to come to Türkiye”.

“President Erdogan has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

He also called out silence from the Kremlin on direct offers from Kyiv for peace talks.

“Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. One way or another, Russia will have to end this war – and the sooner, the better. There is no sense in continuing the killing,” he said.

Putin says ‘no’ to a ceasefire, but ‘yes’ to talks with Zelensky – what is he up to?

Vladimir Putin’s 2am press conference on Sunday was not just theatre, it was his latest salvo in the psychological battle to shape global perceptions of who is truly to blame for Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Russia was ready for peace talks in Turkey this Thursday, Putin said, with no conditions attached. That meant no ceasefire as a prelude to talks.

Volodymyr Zelensky took the wind out of Putin’s sails by replying that he was willing to break the Ukrainian taboo on negotiating with the Kremlin so long as it occupied its territory. He even said in his television address: “We are prepared to end the war.”

That was a big concession to the invader, but it was accompanied by a demand that Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire – also demanded by the four European leaders whom Zelensky had just met.

Summit diplomacy can end wars, writes Mark Almond:

Russia setting conditions to reject Zelensky’s invitation to meet Putin – ISW

Officials in Russia appear to be setting conditions for Vladimir Putin to reject Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to meet in Istanbul for bilateral ceasefire negotiations, a US-based think tank said.

Mr Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy”, according to Russian Federation Council speaker Konstantin Kosachev, further claiming that high-level meetings are not organised in “such a difficult situation”, The Institute for the Study of War said.

Additionally, doubts have been expressed over whether Mr Putin will travel to Istanbul to meet with Mr Zelensky by Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs deputy chairperson Alexei Chepa.

“Kremlin-level officials have not formally responded to Zelensky's invitation as of this report, although statements from lower-level Russian officials indicate that Putin will likely not travel to Istanbul and meet with Zelensky,” the ISW said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart at the Kremlin in Moscow (AFP/Getty)

Fighting continues on frontline despite proposed ceasefire, says Ukrainian military

The Ukrainian military's general staff said that as of 10pm (1900 GMT) yesterday, there have been 133 clashes with Russian forces along the frontline since midnight, when the ceasefire was to have come into effect.

Ukraine's top commander, Oleksander Syrskyi, was quoted by Volodymyr Zelensky as saying the heaviest fighting still gripped the Donetsk region, the focus of the eastern front, and Russia's western Kursk region, nine months after Kyiv's forces staged a cross-border incursion.

The fighting was at the same intensity it would be if there were no ceasefire, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the military on Ukraine's eastern front.

Ukrainian soldiers fire 120mm mortar towards Russian army positions near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region (Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade)

How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge

While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.

In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.

"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.

If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.

Zelensky seeks Trump's presence at Turkey talks

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has backed Donald Trump’s presence at peace talks in Istanbul this week, saying Ukraine has “always supported diplomacy” and that he is “ready to come to Türkiye”.

“President Erdogan has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

He also called out silence from the Kremlin on direct offers from Kyiv for peace talks.

“Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. One way or another, Russia will have to end this war – and the sooner, the better. There is no sense in continuing the killing,” he said.

(AP)

Zelensky will only meet with Putin himself, says senior Ukrainian official

President Volodymyr Zelensky will only meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Turkey on Thursday and not any other member of a Russian delegation, a Ukrainian presidential adviser said this morning.

Mr Zelensky has said he is ready to meet in Istanbul for a summit to end the war, accepting Mr Putin’s offer of direct talks.

The latest statement from Kyiv doubles down on Mr Zelensky’s offer to meet Mr Putin personally to gauge if Russia is indeed serious about ending the war in Ukraine.

Last night, US president Donald Trump offered to join the proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

While Russia has not clarified if it plans to attend the talks and at what level, officials from the Kremlin have signalled Mr Putin will not join the talks.

Mr Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy”, according to Russian Federation Council speaker Konstantin Kosachev, further claiming that high-level meetings are not organised in “such a difficult situation”, The Institute for the Study of War said.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky stands before welcomings ahead of a gathering of European leaders in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv (AFP via Getty Images)

EU will quit Russian energy even if Ukraine peace reached, says energy chief

The European Union does not intend to revive its imports of Russian energy after a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, the bloc's Energy Commissioner said this morning.

"The European Union is very clear, we do not wish energy from Russia in the future. We don't wish it now, and we will not wish it after a peace," Dan Jorgensen told reporters at a meeting of EU ministers in Warsaw.

The EU intends to halt imports of Russian natural gas by the end of 2027 to deprive Russia of revenue that helps fuel his war on Ukraine, the bloc’s executive branch said last week.

“Putin has shown that he doesn’t mind weaponising gas,” Mr Jorgensen has said as he outlined the plan last week.

“We do not want to fill up his war chest and support his war economy because who knows which countries will be next.”

The European bloc says it has cut gas imports from 45 per cent to 19 per cent, and oil from 27 per cent to 3 per cent, of its prewar levels. But that still makes it Russia’s biggest gas client, with pipelines in operation across the Black Sea, Belarus, and Turkey, according to the Energy and Clean Air think tank.

Logo of Russia's energy giant Gazprom is pictured at one of its petrol stations in Sofia (AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish and Russian diplomats discuss Ukraine-Russia peace talks

Russia says its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan spoke yesterday to discuss Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold direct Russian-Ukrainian talks this week in Turkey.

"The heads of the two ministries discussed issues linked with the initiative by Russian Federation President VV Putin about beginning direct talks on a Ukrainian settlement on 15 May in Istanbul," the ministry said in a statement.

A Turkish diplomatic source earlier said the two ministers had spoken, but gave no further details.

Mr Putin issued the proposal at the weekend after European leaders met in Kyiv and urged Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire in its war in Ukraine by Monday or face new sanctions.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said that he expected the two sides to reach a compromise in the coming days that might break the deadlock over whether talks could begin without a truce in place.

Russian president Vladimir Putin meets with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Brics summit in Kazan (Sputnik)

Ukrainians explain why Putin doesn't want peace talks: 'Will mean he has lost'

In Kyiv, residents expressed a mixture of hope and despondency at the latest peace efforts.

Russian president Vladimir Putin doesn't want a truce to halt the war, because "it will mean that he has lost," Antonina Metko, 43, told AP.

"That is why they are postponing it. And everything will continue in the same way. Unfortunately," she said.

Ukraine, along with European allies, has demanded that Russia accept a ceasefire starting Monday [yesterday] before holding peace talks. Moscow effectively rejected that proposal and instead called for direct negotiations in Istanbul.

Vladyslav Nehrybetskyi, 72, was more upbeat, saying that "the seeds" of a peace agreement are being sown, even though "a difficult process" lies ahead.

"So let's hope."

Ukraine's government has tried to keep up the momentum for a peace deal started by the Trump administration.

How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge

While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.

In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.

"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.

If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.

Trump suggests he could join Putin and Zelensky in Turkey this week

Donald Trump has suggested he could join Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet for peace talks there.

“You may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey … and I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I've got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen, but we've got to get it done,” Mr Trump said in the White House yesterday.

Mr Trump’s current schedule has him visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week.

The US president added that he insisted that the meeting between the two leaders takes place.

“I think you’re going to have … maybe a good meeting, you have the potential for a good meeting. A meeting wasn’t going take place, and I insisted that that meeting take[s] place...,” Mr Trump said.

Donald Trump gestures as he walks to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland (AFP via Getty Images)

Zelensky seeks Trump's presence at Turkey talks

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has backed Donald Trump’s presence at peace talks in Istanbul this week, saying Ukraine has “always supported diplomacy” and that he is “ready to come to Türkiye”.

“President Erdogan has expressed full readiness to host the meeting. It is important that President Trump fully supports the meeting, and we would like him to find an opportunity to come to Türkiye,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.

He also called out silence from the Kremlin on direct offers from Kyiv for peace talks.

“Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence. One way or another, Russia will have to end this war – and the sooner, the better. There is no sense in continuing the killing,” he said.

(Ukraine Foreign Affair Ministry)

Ukraine says it destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight

Ukraine's air defence units destroyed all 10 drones that Russia launched overnight, Ukraine's air force said this morning.

This is the lowest number of drones that Russia has launched in an overnight attack in at least several weeks, according to Reuters' calculations.

Warsaw fire accusations baseless, Kremlin claims

The Kremlin has fired back against Poland’s claim Russia was behind a fire that destroyed a shopping centre in Warsaw last year.

Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski said yesterday that he was ordering the closure of Russia's consulate in the southern city of Krakow in response to the blaze.

“The Russian consulate will have to leave. And if these attacks continue, we'll take further action,” Mr Sikorski said.

Speaking with journalists, Kremlin spokesperson DmitryPeskov described the accusations as being groundless and rooted in anti-Russian sentiment.

He also said that Warsaw's decision to close the consulate would damage bilateral relations between Russia and Poland, which Mr Peskov described as already being in "a deplorable state."

Will Zelensky empty-chair Putin in Turkey after calling his bluff on peace talks?

Volodymyr Zelensky has thrown down the gauntlet – and is calling Vladimir Putin’s bluff – by announcing he will indeed be in Turkey on Thursday for direct talks on a ceasefire.

Over the weekend, Putin effectively rejected the Ukrainian president’s call for 30-day unconditional truce, which is backed by Sir Keir Starmer, the leaders of France, Germany and Poland (who were all in Ukraine) as well as members of the 31-country “coalition of the willing”.

The month-long break from fighting was designed, Zelensky said, as the “foundation for diplomacy” to allow talks for a longer deal. It was supposed to be a continuation of a three-day temporary truce that Putin had initially called, but which expired on Sunday.

Never one to be cajoled, Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, launching 108 attack drones from six directions, Ukraine’s air force said.

And instead of pausing fighting, Putin called for direct peace talks to be held on 15 May in Istanbul, brokered by his frenemy, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

We can only assume Putin expected his spanner-in-the-works suggestion to be rejected by Zelensky.

Chief international correspondent Bel Trew looks at how the week might unfurl:

Fighting continues on frontline despite proposed ceasefire, says Ukrainian military

The Ukrainian military's general staff said that as of 10pm (1900 GMT) yesterday, there have been 133 clashes with Russian forces along the frontline since midnight, when the ceasefire was to have come into effect.

Ukraine's top commander, Oleksander Syrskyi, was quoted by Volodymyr Zelensky as saying the heaviest fighting still gripped the Donetsk region, the focus of the eastern front, and Russia's western Kursk region, nine months after Kyiv's forces staged a cross-border incursion.

The fighting was at the same intensity it would be if there were no ceasefire, said Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the military on Ukraine's eastern front.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk direction in Ukraine, while Russian forces advanced at Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka.

A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position in Zaporizhzhia region (Reuters)

Russia setting conditions to reject Zelensky’s invitation to meet Putin – ISW

Officials in Russia appear to be setting conditions for Vladimir Putin to reject Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to meet in Istanbul for bilateral ceasefire negotiations, a US-based think tank said.

Mr Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy”, according to Russian Federation Council speaker Konstantin Kosachev, further claiming that high-level meetings are not organised in “such a difficult situation”, The Institute for the Study of War said.

Additionally, doubts have been expressed over whether Mr Putin will travel to Istanbul to meet with Mr Zelensky by Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs deputy chairperson Alexei Chepa.

“Kremlin-level officials have not formally responded to Zelensky's invitation as of this report, although statements from lower-level Russian officials indicate that Putin will likely not travel to Istanbul and meet with Zelensky,” the ISW said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin addresses foreign leaders during a reception held on Victory Day in Moscow (via Reuters)

How the Kremlin has responded to Zelensky's Putin challenge

While the Kremlin has effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by the European nations, it has reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart and said he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin in Turkey “personally” to settle the war.

In the past 24 hours, there has been no direct response from the Kremlin to the invitation made by Mr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side.

"Overall, we're determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all," Mr Peskov said.

If Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.

(SPUTNIK/AFP/AFP via Getty Images)

Macron rubbishes cocaine train claims: ‘Fake news spread by France’s enemies’

France has shut down a wild conspiracy peddled by the Russian foreign ministry that Europe’s leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, were doing cocaine together on a train into Ukraine.

The claims centre on a video in which French president Emmanuel Macron picks up a white tissue from a table and German chancellor Friedrich Merz retrieves a coffee stirrer. Sir Keir is seen smiling on the opposite side of the table.

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote a lengthy diatribe on social media site Telegram over the weekend in which she claimed the video was evidence that the trio had spent the train journey doing cocaine and had forgotten to remove the drug paraphernalia. She claimed the tissue was a bag of cocaine and the stirrer was a spoon used to consume the drugs.

Putin says ‘no’ to a ceasefire, but ‘yes’ to talks with Zelensky – what is he up to?

Vladimir Putin’s 2am press conference on Sunday was not just theatre, it was his latest salvo in the psychological battle to shape global perceptions of who is truly to blame for Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Russia was ready for peace talks in Turkey this Thursday, Putin said, with no conditions attached. That meant no ceasefire as a prelude to talks.

Volodymyr Zelensky took the wind out of Putin’s sails by replying that he was willing to break the Ukrainian taboo on negotiating with the Kremlin so long as it occupied its territory. He even said in his television address: “We are prepared to end the war.”

That was a big concession to the invader, but it was accompanied by a demand that Putin agree to a 30-day ceasefire – also demanded by the four European leaders whom Zelensky had just met.

By declaring that he would be waiting for him in Istanbul, and daring Putin to meet him face to face for the first time since 2019, Zelensky was throwing down a challenge. It could yet blow up in either leader’s face.

Summit diplomacy can end wars, writes Mark Almond:

Rubio discusses Ukraine ceasefire with European counterparts

US secretary of state Marco Rubio discussed the "way forward for a ceasefire" in Ukraine with his European counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Britain and France and the EU's foreign policy chief, the State Department said last night.

Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and his German and Polish counterparts were also on the call, according to the readout.

This came shortly after Donald Trump offered to join Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin if they meet in Turkey this week for direct peace talks.

Ukraine and its European allies have been seeking to put pressure on Moscow to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which was supposed to have started yesterday.

Germany's political director of the ministry of foreign affairs Gunter Sautter, France's minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, Britain's foreign secretary David Lammy and US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Paris (AFP via Getty Images)

Russia slams Europe ceasefire ultimatum as 'unacceptable'

The European proposal for a 30-day ceasefire is an “unacceptable” ultimatum, the Kremlin said.

Europe, with the backing of US president Donald Trump, proposed a 30-day ceasefire beginning yesterday.

The European countries, including the UK, threatened Vladimir Putin with further sanctions if he failed to agree.

“The language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia, it is not suitable. You can't use such language with Russia," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukraine and its European allies have been seeking to put pressure on Moscow to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday, with the leaders of four major European powers travelling to Kyiv on Saturday to show unity with Mr Zelensky.

Earlier yesterday, the German government said Europe would start preparing new sanctions against Russia unless the Kremlin by the end of the day started abiding by the ceasefire.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow (AFP/Getty)

Trump suggests he could join Putin and Zelensky in Turkey this week

Donald Trump has suggested he could join Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Turkey this week if the two leaders meet for peace talks there.

“You may have a good result out of the Thursday meeting in Turkey … and I believe the two leaders are going to be there. I've got so many meetings, but I was thinking about actually flying over there. There's a possibility of it, I guess, if I think things can happen, but we've got to get it done,” Mr Trump said in the White House yesterday.

Mr Trump’s current schedule has him visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week.

The US president added that he insisted that the meeting between the two leaders takes place.

“I think you’re going to have … maybe a good meeting, you have the potential for a good meeting. A meeting wasn’t going take place, and I insisted that that meeting take[s] place...,” Mr Trump said.

(AP)