Trump, on a tour of the Gulf, has said there would be no movement on peace talks in the absence of a meeting between himself and Putin.

The Russian leader sends a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by U.S. President Donald Trump saying there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin.

Russia's Putin spurned a challenge to meet face-to-face with Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Turkey on Thursday, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine's president said his defense minister would head up Kyiv's team.