Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Begin Without Putin Present

2 weeks ago Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey. Zelenskyy said he's sending a team to Istanbul to meet a Russian delegation, even though Moscow’s side doesn’t include “anyone who actually makes decisions.” Few had expected Putin to show up in Turkey, and it punctured any hope of progress on ending the 3-year-old war that was given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international Western sanctions on Russia.