The Russian diplomatic maneuvers suggest that Vladimir Putin does not respect U.S. President Donald Trump and is unafraid of further sanctions or pressure from Europe, as assessed by the American CNN television portal on Thursday.

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia's delegation at peace talks on Ukraine in Turkey, said on Thursday that Moscow's aim was to secure a long-lasting peace with Kyiv by looking for common ground and removing the reasons for the conflict.

U.S. and European officials persuaded President Volodymyr Zelensky to represent Ukraine at upcoming peace talks in Istanbul despite Russia's evasiveness about who it would send, the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 14,

Russia has called for direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, but Ukraine’s European allies say Putin needs to agree to a ceasefire first.

By Tom Balmforth and Vladimir Soldatkin ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a second-tier team of aides and deputy ministers to hold peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday,

The spokesperson for the European Commission, Paula Pinho, suggested that Vladimir Putin might be surprised by Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness to meet in person. This comment came in the context of the Russian leader's refusal to agree to an immediate ceasefire and engage in talks with the Ukrainian president.

From Macron’s empty troop pledge to a faltering sanctions regime, the EU’s Ukraine posture is performative without US power

Military experts have warned the Russian president's war-machine could be fully rebuilt to strength and made ready to attack NATO neighbours by 2027 if a peace deal is struck in Ukraine