Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul

ISTANBUL — A Russian delegation landed in Istanbul on Thursday for the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in more than three years, Russian state media reported, but without President Vladimir Putin.

Putin was not included on the list of Moscow's negotiating team published by the Kremlin late on Wednesday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to meet him in person at the talks.

A Ukrainian official told AFP that Zelensky planned to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, not Istanbul, later on Thursday, and only then would he decide his approach to the talks.