Talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war are facing challenges, as plans for direct discussions between the countries' leaders, including potentially President Donald Trump, have scaled back. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are leading the American delegation in Turkey,

There is no reason to think that Trump will acquiesce to Putin’s list of demands. In fact, he has repeatedly voiced frustration with the lack of progress in the talks and has threatened to walk away, as Russia continues to creep forward, inch by bloody inch, in a long war of attrition with no end in sight.

ISTANBUL − Russia's Vladimir Putin spurned a challenge to meet face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine's president said his defence minister would head up Kyiv's team.