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

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his NATO counterparts meet in Turkey on Thursday to prepare a pivotal summit of alliance leaders next month that will set the course for future European security as America focuses on challenges elsewhere.

Uncertainty surrounds the Istanbul peace talks as Putin withdraws and Trump remains undecided, while Zelenskyy maintains he will attend only if he can meet directly with Putin, not lower-level officials.