Vladimir Putin rejected calls to join direct talks with Ukraine's leader in Turkey, seemingly unphased by mounting pressure from Trump to strike a peace deal.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up Thursday for proposed direct peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was waiting for Putin in the capital Ankara after challenging him to face-to-face discussions on ending their countries’ more than three-year war.

Ukrainian and Russian representatives will meet in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday, for their first meeting since the opening weeks of Moscow's 3-year-old invasion.