Russia's Vladimir Putin spurned a challenge to meet face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey on Thursday, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine's president said his defense minister would head up Kyiv's team.
They will be the first direct talks between the sides since March 2022, but hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by US President Donald Trump, who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later echoed that view, telling reporters in the Turkish resort of Antalya that Washington "didn't have high expectations" for the Ukraine talks in Istanbul.
US, UK, EU react to Russian absence
Rubio later added in an interview with Fox News that peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow would only be successful if Trump and Putin met face to face, echoing statements that the US president made.
"We've reached the conclusion that the only way this is going to happen, if it has a chance to happen, the only way it happens is the President directly engages with Vladimir Putin."
After a Russian delegation did not show up for peace talks, the EU announced that it would place wide-ranging tariffs on Russia.
"The fact that President Zelensky nonetheless traveled to Istanbul is a significant gesture of goodwill. Putin did not show up — and by doing so, he alone placed himself in the wrong," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X/Twitter.
He added that the EU would consider placing additional sanctions on Moscow's banking sector, energy sector, and several other individuals and businesses.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also slammed Russia's absence on Thursday.
"It is Putin who is causing the delay in a ceasefire,” he said, as reported by the Guardian. “Ukraine has long been clear, several months ago now, that they would have a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Zelensky's demands that Putin attend the Istanbul talks "pathetic."
Russia says talks will happen in Istanbul
The head of the Russian delegation, presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, said he expected Ukraine's representatives to turn up for the beginning of discussions on Friday in Istanbul at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT).
"We are ready to work," Medinsky said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. He said his delegation had held "productive" talks on Thursday evening with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he would send a delegation to Istanbul for the talks and would not personally attend.
Zelensky slammed Russia's decision not to show up to the talks on Thursday, even though Putin had suggested them.
"We see that they, unfortunately, are very unserious about real negotiations. So far, we do not see any real decision-makers among those present," Zelensky said, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Later, in a statement on his Telegram, Zelensky wrote that Moscow's absence was "a sign of disrespect toward the world and all partners."
After the talks fizzled on Thursday, Trump asserted that the three-way talks would not be able to happen without his presence.
I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”