Will President Vladimir Putin go to Istanbul? Why is he avoiding Donald Trump, and why has he started talking about negotiations with Ukraine? Russian opposition political analyst Ivan Preobrazhensky shared his thoughts in a brief interview with RBC-Ukraine.

United States President Donald Trump has offered to join the talks that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin suggested should be held directly with Ukraine, after criticism of the Western “ultimatums” to end the conflict between the two Slavic nations.

Both Russia and Ukraine have sought to foster peace after Trump's push to either end the conflict or withdraw altogether

European leaders are prepared to wait for a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Thursday, May 15, before urging the United States to announce new sanctions on Moscow.

Today’s episode is presented by Victoria Derbyshire and Vitaly Shevchenko. The producers were Ben Carter and Laurie Kalus. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Moscow is willing to engage in responsible negotiations, but it doubts other party's ability to reach agreement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says - Anadolu Ajansı

The mysterious and sublime seal that unites Europe to Asia,” was how the French writer Gérard de Nerval wrote of Istanbul in the 19th century after visiting what he called the most beautiful city in the world.

"This is a critical opportunity to again have those direct talks to try to achieve that ceasefire and then that long and enduring peace," the US diplomat added