Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv will send a delegation led by defence minister Rustem Umerov for direct talks with a Russian team in Istanbul. During a press conference in Ankara following a meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

Ukraine had framed Zelensky's demand for a face-to-face meeting with Putin as a test of Russia's true willingness to negotiate peace. Arriving in Turkey, he slammed the Russian delegation as "theatrical" and contrasted it to Ukraine's high-level group.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian delegation does not include ‘anyone who actually makes decisions’.

Mr Zelensky said that the level of the Russian delegation dispatched to Turkey for talks was low rank Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave the green light for direct talks with Russia to go ahead in Istanbul, despite his frustration with the low level of the Russian delegation sent by President Vladimir Putin.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would decide on the next steps in talks with Russia after his meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Zelensky told reporters at Ankara's airport that the level of the Russian delegation dispatched to Turkey for talks was a low rank and had an unclear mandate.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had the impression Russia sent a "dummy" delegation with an unclear mandate to Turkey for the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in over three years.

Watch live as Volodymyr Zelensky holds a press conference after Vladimir Putin shuned Russia Ukraine peace talks in Turkey on Thursday (15 May).Mr Zelensky derided Russia’s delegation for peace talks in Istanbul as “stand-in props”,