Putin Bows Out of Ukraine Peace Talks in Turkey, Sending Kremlin Aides Instead
Peace hopes cool as both Russian and U.S. presidents opt out of direct negotiations in Istanbul, undercutting momentum before talks even begin. After all the talk, Vladimir Putin won’t be showing up. Just four days after proposing face-to-face negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Russian president has backed away from the Istanbul peace summit, scheduled to begin Thursday. It would have marked their first direct contact since Russia launched…