Russian President Vladimir Putin in the early hours of Sunday proposed direct negotiations in Turkey on Thursday "without any preconditions," but he did not say who would attend from Moscow's side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he would attend the talks with Russia only if Putin is also there.

Ukraine's leadership will decide on its next steps for peace talks in Turkey once there is clarity on Russian President Vladimir Putin's participation, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The talks have taken place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe. Now, all eyes are finally turning to Istanbul to seek an end to Russia's 3-year-old,