The Russian president faced pressure from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to travel for the talks in Istanbul on Thrusday.

Direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators last took place in Istanbul in March 2022 in the early weeks of Russia's invasion. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he might visit Turkey for the talks as part of his trip to the Middle East this week but said he did not know if Putin would show up.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey Wednesday ahead of the ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia set to take place the next day. It remains unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump or Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance,