After dangling the possibility of his attendance, Trump says he will stay away but still wants to meet up with Putin, further weakening the Istanbul talks.

Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss a possible ceasefire in the war, the first such discussions since the early days of Moscow's invasion. Why it matters: The meeting comes after months of diplomatic pressure by the Trump administration to open talks on ending the war.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in Istanbul on Friday for what was billed as their first direct peace talks in more than three years.