London: US President Donald Trump has declared that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire” following a lengthy phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, a claim that drew cautious international reactions and left key questions unanswered.

The meeting between a delegation from Kyiv and Moscow capped off a week of diplomacy that saw world leaders descend on Turkey for a series of talks in Ankara, Antalya and finally Istanbul. It was there that officials from Russia and Ukraine met face-to-face today for the first time in three years.

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This prompted accusations from Ukraine and its European partners ... as "a serious conversation on international issues is needed, including the Ukrainian crisis." Should the talks in Istanbul ...

Russian authorities have designated Amnesty International as an “undesirable” organisation, alleging that the rights group propagates pro-war content backed by the Western allies of Ukraine ...

Ukraine has a sizable minority of Russian speakers, largely in the east. They also overwhelmingly blame Russia for hostilities.

Ukraine rallied support from its Western allies on Friday after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in more than three years, with Russia presenting conditions that a Ukrainian source described as "non-starters".