A meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is “imminent”, White House aide Sebastian Gorka has claimed ahead of critical Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey. Delegations from the US, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are set to convene in Istanbul today for the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in more than three years.

Vladimir Putin rejected calls to join direct talks with Ukraine's leader in Turkey, seemingly unphased by mounting pressure from Trump to strike a peace deal.