Donald Trump has claimed a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine won’t happen until he personally meets with Vladimir Putin, after the Russian president spurned ceasefire talks he himself instigated and refused to send even senior ministers to the negotiations.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin’s failure to attend talks in Turkey showed he was not ready for peace, as he called on the Russian leader to “demonstrate leadership” if he was serious about ending the invasion Moscow started in 2022. President Zelensky said a senior Ukrainian delegation, including the defence minister, Rustem Umerov, would be sent to Istanbul for talks.