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,

President Donald Trump stopped at al-Udeid Air Base — an important hub for the U.S. military in recent decades — before heading to Abu Dhabi.

Russian strikes and fighting along the front line have killed far more civilians than over the same period a year ago, U.N. officials said in a presentation for diplomats in New York this week.

It was a proposal that the Kremlin could neither outright reject nor accept, intended to force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice.

Global leaders urge Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday, warning of further sanctions if it does not comply.