Ukraine's President Zelensky has been brutally snubbed by Vladimir Putin after rumours swirled over face-to-face talks between the two. The Kremlin has tonight issued a statement confirming that the Russian despot will now be sending a delegate in his place to the peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Russian despot has tightened his security and rarely leaves his Kremlin security bubble out of fear of a Ukrainian kill squad, anti-Kremlin plotters or killers from within his inner-circle

Vladimir Putin will not attend Thursday’s Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, despite calls from Zelensky, Trump and Brazilian President Lula. Kremlin named a delegation of military and intelligence officials instead.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy declared the UK and its allies were “united alongside Ukraine ” as he travelled to a NATO meeting in Turkey, where Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to hold peace talks with Russia ’s Vladimir Putin. Mr Lammy said NATO was working to “bring this barbaric war to an end”.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Vladimir Putin is "too scared" to meet him in Turkey for ceasefire talks on Thursday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to meet Vladimir Putin this week, shortly after US President Donald Trump urged him to “immediately” accept the Russian leader’s offer to hold peace talks in Turkey.

Vladimir Putin is unlikely to travel to Istanbul to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan willing to guarantee the international pariah's security,

UKRAINE is now piling the pressure on Russia as Vladimir Putin stays silent on his own offer to meet for peace talks on Thursday. Moscow’s bungle has seen Volodymyr Zelenksy take up