Doha: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not participate in the upcoming Russian-Ukrainian talks in Turkiye. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed during a press briefing that President Putin will not be taking part in the negotiations set to take place in Istanbul aimed at finding a resolution to the three-year-long war that has persisted between the two countries.

According to Qatar News Agency, the announcement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the Russian delegation sent to negotiate a meaningful settlement. Speaking upon his arrival in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy said that they need to understand what kind of level the Russian delegation is, what mandate they have and whether they can make any decisions.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had sent on their part a "high-level delegation" to the talks. In a related development, US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to join the Istanbul discussions on Friday, if required. Istanbul is set to host the Russian-Ukrainian talks, continuing its role as a venue for previous rounds of negotiations between the two sides.