Putin's absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders.

By Tom Balmforth and Vladimir Soldatkin ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a second-tier team of negotiators to hold peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday, spurning Kyiv's challenge to go there in person to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Turkey for direct talks with Russia. But the Kremlin sent a lower-level delegation that doesn't include President Vladimir Putin.