The talks took place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe.

Each side is seeking to call the other’s bluff by demonstrating they alone want peace while the other is the obstacle.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Turkey for peace talks on the war in Ukraine, despite calls from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky for him to attend.Russia's delegation at Thursday's talks in Istanbul will instead be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinksy,