Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin in Turkey. But Russia’s president may be a no-show

When Ukraine’s president arrives in Turkey, Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with the country’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but a key part of the trip is to send the message that he is ready for face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin, even if the Russian president isn’t. On Thursday, Turkey will host the first direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022, a meeting Putin proposed on Saturday at the same time that he refused a 30-day ceasefire, despite an ultimatum from Europe that demanded Moscow agree or be saddled with new rounds of sanctions . Instead, in an effort to…