Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he is "waiting to see who will come from Russia" to the upcoming ceasefire talks in Turkey.

Moscow on Wednesday said it would send a delegation to Istanbul to meet with Ukrainian officials, bringing the two at-war countries together for direct talks.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of scrapping his Middle East travel schedule and adding a stop to personally mediate Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey.

Putin proposed immediate negotiations on Thursday in Istanbul while Europeans and Trump were talking about a ceasefire from Monday

Putin rejects ceasefire ultimatum from European leaders – but proposes talks with Kyiv - Russian president proposes direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey on 15 May

Turkey is ready to undertake the duty to observe a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, its foreign minister said during a "coalition of the willing" call with Kyiv's partners on Saturday, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

As tensions remain high, the international community continues to watch closely, hoping both nuclear-armed nations step back from the brink.

Turkey's ambitions to become a natural gas hub could thwart the European Union's plans to end reliance on Russian gas by 2027.