Trump 'open' to meeting Putin, Zelensky in Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump is open to an invitation by his Turkish counterpart to hold three-way peace talks in Turkey with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, the White House said Monday.

"The president has said he's open to it if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's proposal.

Zelensky urges Trump to push Russia to ceasefire with strong sanctions

Zelensky on Monday urged Trump to approve more sanctions to "push" Russia into a full ceasefire, after Moscow once again declined a 30-day halt to hostilities.

"We really expect Trump to take strong steps," he said at a briefing with journalists after a second round of talks with Russia in Istanbul, calling for Washington to "push the Russians to the ceasefire with strong sanctions".

Zelensky also told reporters that Russia was only aiming for a "short pause" with its proposal for a two- or three-day partial ceasefire, calling it "a game of rhetoric".