U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have both opted out of what was expected to be the first face-to-face peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in over three years, lowering hopes for a significant breakthrough.
Although Putin had proposed the Istanbul summit “without preconditions,” the Kremlin later confirmed he would not attend, instead sending a delegation led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Trump, currently touring the Middle East, also declined to participate.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who had challenged Putin to attend personally, signaled he would only engage in the summit if the Russian leader showed up. With both major players absent, Kyiv said it would wait for clarity before finalizing its participation.
The talks were expected to explore a 30-day ceasefire, proposed by Trump, along with discussions on a possible prisoner swap. However, the U.S. warned of potential secondary sanctions against Russia if it was seen as obstructing the peace process.
