By Tom Balmforth, Vladimir Soldatkin and Huseyin HayatseverISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) -Russia's Vladimir Putin spurned a challenge to meet face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Turkey on Thursday, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks,

Russian President Vladimir Putin remains the most elusive leader in the world — and it's frustrating other parties involved who are seeking peace in Ukraine.

Ministers from NATO states slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for not personally attending cease-fire talks in Turkey.

President Vladimir Putin appeared to make light of militarily seizing Ukraine’s Sumy region during a visit to Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, even as the Kremlin claims to be pursuing a negotiated end to the war.

Turkey is repositioning itself as a key regional and global power by mediating conflicts, strengthening ties across the Middle East, and aligning with the Trump administration's goals.

The Ukrainian president accuses Moscow of wanting to use the peace process initiated by Trump to gain time and make advances on the front. Monday's call between Putin and Trump has not changed anything in the Ukraine war.

DONALD Trump and Vladimir Putin held a “candid” two-hour phone call on Monday afternoon in a desperate bid to end the three year-long war in Ukraine. The US President said the

The Russians are “trying to avoid giving anything because they are very, very hard-nosed negotiators,” one analyst told NBC News.