Ukraine's Zelensky visits Turkey as Putin opts out of Istanbul peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived here on Thursday for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.

His visit to Turkey followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for reviving stalled peace negotiations in Istanbul.

Zelensky has said he is prepared to attend direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul, but only if Putin also takes part.

"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," Zelensky said late Wednesday.

However, the Kremlin has announced that Putin will not be joining the Russian delegation for the talks in Istanbul on Thursday, and Russia will be represented by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

While speaking at the NATO informal meeting in Antalya, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "The talks to be held in Istanbul will hopefully lead us to open a new page."

The last direct talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul in March 2022, where the two sides failed to agree to halt the fighting.