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.

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".

The Russian delegation, led by an aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Medinsky, at talks with Ukraine in Istanbul had papers from previous talks in 2022 and threatened to increase the number of attachments fivefold, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.