Putin no-show at talks

RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin did not show up in Turkey on Thursday for proposed direct peace talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was waiting for him in the capital of Ankara after challenging the Kremlin leader to face-to-face discussions on ending their three-year-old war.

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With Mr Putin absent, the Russian delegation was in Istanbul and it was not clear whether the sides would meet for their first such talks since March 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbour the previous month.

Mr Zelensky said the Russian delegation appeared to be merely "a theatre prop".

He said the next steps for talks would be decided after his meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who welcomed Mr Zelensky with an honour guard at the presidential palace in Ankara.

Mr Putin's absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and western European leaders.