Russia-Ukraine warfare newest: US says peace breakthrough unlikely as Putin and Zelensky skip Turkey talks

Russia’s Vladimir Putin spurned a problem to satisfy face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey on Thursday, as a substitute sending a second-tier delegation to deliberate peace talks, whereas Ukraine’s president mentioned his defence minister would head up Kyiv’s workforce.

They would be the first direct talks between the perimeters since March 2022, however hopes of a significant breakthrough had been additional dented by US president Donald Trump, who mentioned there can be no motion and not using a assembly between himself and Putin.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio later echoed that view, telling reporters within the Turkish resort of Antalya that Washington “did not have excessive expectations” for the Ukraine talks in Istanbul.

The pinnacle of the Russian delegation, presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, mentioned he anticipated Ukraine’s representatives to show up for the start of discussions on Friday in Istanbul at 10am native time.

“We’re able to work,” Mr Medinsky mentioned in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. He mentioned his delegation had held “productive” talks on Thursday night with Turkish overseas minister Hakan Fidan.

Russia’s defence ministry mentioned on Thursday that its forces seized two extra settlements of their drive by way of japanese Ukraine, however Kyiv made no such acknowledgement and its high commander mentioned battles raged over 1,100km of the entrance line.

In line with Russia, their forces had seized Novooleksandrivka, a village close to Pokrovsk, a logistics hub that Moscow has focused for months with out capturing it.

The defence ministry mentioned its forces had additionally taken Torske, additional northeast and close to two different cities Moscow want to seize in the long run – Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

The Normal Employees of Ukraine’s navy, in a late night report, listed Novooleksandrivka as one in every of greater than dozen settlements which it mentioned had come beneath Russian assault.

The Normal Employees made no point out of Torske, however the well-liked weblog DeepState mentioned Russian forces had tried to grab the settlement however had been repelled.

The claims from both facet couldn’t be independently verified.