Vladimir Putin rejected calls to join direct talks with Ukraine's leader in Turkey, seemingly unphased by mounting pressure from Trump to strike a peace deal.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor U.S. President Donald Trump look likely to attend peace talks that were due to be held in Turkey on Thursday. Putin had suggested last Sunday that he was willing to hold "direct negotiations" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul this week "without any preconditions.