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.

The delegation of the aggressor country russia in Istanbul has voiced a number of unacceptable conditions for Ukraine.The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign

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".