Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Vladimir Putin this week, shortly after US President Donald Trump urged him to “immediately” accept the Russian leader’s offer to hold peace talks in Turkey.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must respond to the ceasefire proposal in Ukraine by the end of the day, The Guardian reports. According to German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius, "the clock is ticking" for Russia.

Trump earlier this week met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and announced plans to ease sanctions on the war-torn country. The U.S. has deployed more than 1,000 troops in Syria for years to suppress a return of the Islamic State group.

Moscow’s massacres of Ukrainian civilians blew apart any semblance of good faith as Washington pushed for talks

The UK criticized the Russian delegation that Vladimir Putin sent to Türkiye for the talks instead of himself. Against this backdrop, Britain has called for a stronger NATO, according to The Guardian and Independent.

Kovalenko highlighted that the Kremlin leader "appears delusional" for continuing to attack Ukraine with weapons like Shahed drones, despite Russia’s repeated failures to achieve its primary objective of destroying Ukraine either militarily or politically.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed a delegation of senior officials to attend this week’s negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, according to a directive published by the Kremlin website Wednesday night.

The French Foreign Minister, on his part, adds that he is working with US Senator Lindsey Graham on "massive sanctions" against Moscow. Brussels defined its 17th package of sanctions against Russia this Wednesday,