Donald Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin's refusal to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine

Moscow on Tuesday once again downplayed expectations for a third round of peace talks with Ukraine and did not confirm the date for a meeting in Istanbul set for Wednesday by Ukraine. Moscow's delegation at the last round of talks with Ukraine was led by a hawkish historian and the current head of the Russian Union of Writers,

Volodymyr Zelensky has said the next set of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia is planned to be held in Turkey on Wednesday after previous round of talks to end the war failed to yield results."Today I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation for a prisoner exchange and another meeting with the Russian side in Turkey,

President Trump’s new hardline strategy—offering advanced weapons to Ukraine while threatening Russia with a 50-day ultimatum for a peace deal—has been met with cautious optimism from some quarters and continued defiance from Moscow.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that there was no basis to expect miracles from a proposed third round of direct Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, and declined to give any time frame for a potential agreement to end the war.

Vladimir Putin is open to peace after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suggested fresh ceasefire talks, Moscow said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president was ready to negotiate, but that Russia remained committed to “achieving its goals”.

A face-to-face meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders is needed "to truly ensure a lasting peace," Zelensky said late on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement for Ukraine but Moscow's main objective is to achieve its goals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television in a clip published on Sunday.