Moscow’s massacres of Ukrainian civilians blew apart any semblance of good faith as Washington pushed for talks

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.

There had been speculation that the talks would feature a Putin-Zelensky meet-up, but the Kremlin opted for less prominent negotiators.

Moscow thinks it’s winning in Ukraine and can play hardball diplomatically. Washington sees costly, incremental gains and an unrealistic negotiating position.

Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised Ukraine's military recruitment methods, claiming that Ukrainian officials are forcibly conscripting individuals "like dogs" off the streets.

The EU is preparing new sanctions on Russia despite a potential meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, three sources told CNBC.