Russian officials mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored his demand of a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, where the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks in more than three years are due to take place.

Moscow has sent a ‘low level’ delegation to meet Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul, while Trump says a peace deal won’t happen before he and Putin ‘get together’

Putin’s absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders.