After dangling the possibility of his attendance, Trump said he would stay away but still wants to meet with Putin, further weakening the Istanbul talks.

Ukraine will make securing a ceasefire a priority in expected talks with a Russian delegation in Istanbul on Friday, a Ukrainian diplomatic source said, adding there was also a need for "confidence-building measures".

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described his meeting with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome on Sunday 18 May as "good". Zelenskyy briefed them on the "unrealistic conditions" put forward by Russia at the Istanbul talks.