Zelensky accused the Russian side of not taking the talks seriously, and that he did not see decision-makers among their delegation, despite direct negotiations taking place at the urging of Moscow. He had earlier described the Russian delegation as "theatrical."

For days, President Donald Trump repeatedly floated the possibility of scrapping his Middle East travel schedule — one his team meticulously crafted for weeks — and adding a stop to personally mediate Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey.