After dangling the possibility of his attendance, Trump says he will stay away but still wants to meet with Putin, further weakening the Istanbul talks.

Before the talks even began, President Donald Trump predicted there would be no progress unless he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were involved.

The head of the Russian delegation, presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, said he expected Ukraine's representatives to turn up for the beginning of discussions on Friday in Istanbul at 10 a.m ...

Though neither a superpower nor a has-been superpower, Ukraine is the only country that can effectively end the war.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expected Russia to present a Ukraine ceasefire outline within days that will show if it is serious, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of buying time.

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (May 20) accused Russia of not seriously engaging in peace talks and of wanting to continue its three-year invasion, despite a US push for a ceasefire.

But US secretary of state also says President Trump believes threatening Russia with sanctions may cause them to stop talking - Anadolu Ajansı

In a reversal, President Trump appears to have backed off joining a European push for new sanctions on Russia, seemingly eager to move on to doing business deals with it.