by ALEXX ALTMAN-DEVILBISS | The National News Desk TOPICS: ANKARA, Turkey (TNND) — Russian President Vladimir Putin was a no show for Thursday's meeting in Turkey for proposed peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy agreed ...

Ukraine had framed Zelensky's demand for a face-to-face meeting with Putin as a test of Russia's true willingness to negotiate peace. Arriving in Turkey, he slammed the Russian delegation as "theatrical" and contrasted it to Ukraine's high-level group.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of scrapping his Middle East travel schedule and adding a stop to personally mediate Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey.

Turkey is ready to host negotiations for a ceasefire and permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine, President Tayyip Erdogan told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan's office said.

Putin proposed immediate negotiations on Thursday in Istanbul while Europeans and Trump were talking about a ceasefire from Monday

As tensions remain high, the international community continues to watch closely, hoping both nuclear-armed nations step back from the brink.

Turkey is ready to undertake the duty to observe a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, its foreign minister said during a "coalition of the willing" call with Kyiv's partners on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.