Kremlin leader Putin continues to keep the world on tenterhooks - also to demonstrate his own power.

Shortly before planned negotiations on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, the format and composition of the meeting remain open. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized on Monday that a Russian delegation would travel to Istanbul on Thursday for the meeting proposed by President Vladimir Putin. However, he left open the details of the delegation and whether the Kremlin chief himself would attend.

The Kremlin chief himself also remained tight-lipped on the issue at a meeting with Russian business representatives. However, he expressed his extreme confidence regarding the Russian market. An apology from Western investors is not enough to allow him to return to Russia, he said. This statement indicates that he expects the sanctions to end soon.

Zelensky will definitely travel to Turkey. Currently, however, only a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara is planned. Zelensky has recently repeatedly reiterated his call for Putin's participation in the planned negotiations on ending Russia's war of aggression.

Putin decides everything in Russia, so he must also decide on the question of war, Zelensky said in his evening video message. "It's his war. That's why negotiations must also proceed with him." In an interview published by "Der Spiegel" on Tuesday evening, Zelensky said: "It seems to me that he (Putin) is afraid."

According to him, Ukraine is preparing for the meeting in Turkey in close coordination with its partners. In his video message, Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Russia's willingness to negotiate. "Russia talks a lot about direct negotiations, but when it comes down to it, they hide," he said, referring to Moscow's delaying tactics regarding Putin's arrival. If the Kremlin chief does indeed travel to Istanbul, the Ukrainian also wants to attend.

However, if Putin does appear in Istanbul, not all issues could be resolved immediately. "He and I cannot agree on everything at the moment; that's impossible," Zelensky said in an interview with the French newspaper Liberation published last night. "But we must find a format, one way or another, to end the war." Should Putin not come to Istanbul, however, "it means he is not seeking political success."

Zelenskyy said that the presence of US President Donald Trump could possibly persuade the Kremlin chief to participate in the negotiations. "If Putin doesn't come, it will look like a total defeat for him."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will definitely travel to Turkey for the talks, US President Donald Trump announced. The negotiations there will take place at the end of this week, likely on Thursday, the Republican said during his visit to Saudi Arabia. He described this as "very important" and expressed optimism that "very good results" could be achieved.

In addition to Rubio, according to the White House, US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will also travel to the possible Ukrainian-Russian talks. Trump has stated that he has also considered participating, but is making this contingent on Putin's presence.

Zelensky told Der Spiegel: "If I meet with Putin, it must end with a political victory—a ceasefire or a prisoner exchange for all." Asked whether Trump was putting more pressure on him than on the Kremlin chief, the Ukrainian said: "Trump must become convinced that Putin is lying."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius currently sees no willingness on Putin's part to negotiate a ceasefire. "He doesn't want to negotiate at all; he wants to continue bombing and fighting and gaining territory," the SPD politician said of Putin on ZDF's "heute journal."

Asked whether the new sanctions threatened against Russia were a bluff by the Europeans, Pistorius replied: "I don't think so." Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the other heads of state and government had made it very clear "that there must and will be sanctions and reactions if Putin does not respect this ceasefire or even initiate it."

However, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul sees a development in Putin's even talking about negotiations. He calls this "a reaction to the new situation." "He will know that his position will likely worsen in the near future," the CDU politician told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Indeed, the fighting continues unabated. Civilians continue to be affected as well. According to authorities, at least two people have been killed in Russian attacks in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. An 80-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the bombing of the village of Nechvolodivka, west of Kupiansk, Kharkiv's military governor, Oleh Synyehubov, announced on Telegram. He added that three other women and a man, all of retirement age, were injured by the glide bombs.

In addition to the Kupiansk district, the regional capital of Kharkiv itself was also hit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening video address that a drone attack hit a civilian energy facility. No one was injured in the drone attack.