Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of 'not taking negotiations seriously' after the Russian despot failed to show up to Turkey for peace talks.
Zelensky said he had sent a team to Istanbul for the first direct peace talks with Russia in three years, but played down expectations of a breakthrough, saying Moscow was 'not serious' about ending the war.
After hours of confusion which saw both sides hurling insults at the other and uncertainty over whether Ukraine would show up for the talks, Zelensky ended the uncertainty.
He said his defence minister was en route to Istanbul from Ankara with a mandate to push for a ceasefire. Talks could take place on Thursday or Friday, Zelensky added.
Kyiv has baulked at what Zelensky called the 'dummy' delegation of relatively low-level figures sent by Russia, after days spent calling on President Vladimir Putin to personally show up.
