The Ukrainian delegation has already left Ankara for Istanbul for talks with Russia. This was stated at a press conference by the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, began in Ankara on May 15, Turkey's state news agency Anadolu reported.

Donald Trump also played his part in undermining the peace process by saying there would be no progress until he personally spoke to Putin.

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.

As he heads to Turkey for negotiations, Zelensky is betting that Trump will soon realize that Russia does not want to make peace.

A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects Russia's Vladimir Putin to attend peace negotiations on Thursday in Turkey. Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram on Wednesday that if Putin does not show up ,

The absence of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump from the talks has dampened hopes of a significant breakthrough in resolving the conflict.