Putin will not travel to Istanbul for peace talks with Zelenskiy, Kremlin confirms

News Snapshot:

Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Kremlin has said, rejecting the Ukrainian president’s bold proposal for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey to discuss peace. In a statement late on Wednesday, the Kremlin said its delegation would be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline Putin aide who led the only previous round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in 2022. Shortly after the Kremlin’s announcement, a US official said Donald Trump would also skip the talks. Trump had previously suggested he would travel to Turkey only if Putin were present. Later on Wednesday,...