Each side is seeking to call the other’s bluff by demonstrating they alone want peace while the other is the obstacle.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Sunday proposed direct negotiations in Turkey on Thursday "without any preconditions," but he did not say who would attend from Moscow's side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he would attend the talks with Russia only if Putin is also there.

The talks took place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe.

The president said he's optimistic about Thursday's expected talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday urged the West not to be divided on Ukraine and said he was working to ensure unity between allies in Europe and the United States on how to end the war.

Donald Trump is doing a “will he, won’t he” dance with Vladimir Putin on who exactly is showing up to the Ukraine peace talks.

Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.

An evasive Vladimir Putin embarked on a bizarre monologue about the history of tsarist Russia as speculation mounted over whether he will meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul for crunch talks

Russia resumed mass drone attacks in Ukraine early on Sunday, after its self-declared three-day pause expired.

Russia will announce who is attending proposed peace talks in Turkey on ending the war in Ukraine when President Vladimir Putin sees fit to, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, declining to say at this stage whether or not Putin will attend himself.

President Zelenskyy has said Ukraine was ready for 'any format' of negotiations with Putin but admitted next steps will depend on who represents Russia at Istanbul peace talks.

Last weekend saw a flurry of diplomatic activity surrounding the war in Ukraine. First, European leaders assembled in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of unity to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire.