During possible negotiations in Istanbul, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to talk only with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, according to the head of the President’s Office, Mykhailo Podolyak.

Vladimir Putin's 25-year vice-like grip on Russia ends if he accedes to peace talks with Ukraine, experts say. The despot faces mutiny on all fronts at home - notably his army and the rise of "armed" opposition - with acceding to a ceasefire seen as a show of ultimate weakness.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will only meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin for talks in Turkey on Thursday, not other members of the Russian delegation, a Ukrainian presidential adviser told Reuters on Tuesday.

Russia is not responding to Ukraine's proposal for a meeting in Istanbul. And this silence is very strange, states Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The head of state reminded that he had negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Iran is preparing for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani was quoted by Russia's state RIA news agency as saying on Monday.

A s president xi jinping stood shoulder to shoulder with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, watching Russian and Chinese soldiers marching across Red Square on May 9th, they could have been mistaken for equals.

In an interview with ABC News, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Vladimir Putin needed to see "certain dynamics" before agreeing to an extended ceasefire.