# Russian president Vladimir Putin sent aides and deputy ministers for peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey today, spurning Kyiv’s challenge to go there in person to meet president Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin earlier proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, and Zelensky promised to be waiting for him. Reuters reports Putin kept the world guessing about his plans for days, while the Kremlin named a lower-level delegation which was described by Kyiv’s European allies as a snub. It’s still inclear how Ukraine would respond.
Putin a no-show at Ukrainian peace talks in Turkey