Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, both countries said Thursday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.

A low-ranking Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, while a Ukrainian delegation led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and including Defence Minister Rustem Umerov,

Even as Russian leader Vladimir Putin has yet again rebuffed the US-endorsed ceasefire proposal, President Donald Trump has continued to defend him. This leads to the question whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is losing the plot.