Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to travel to Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Thursday, but the Russian delegation is there and ready to meet the Ukrainian team.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with members of the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) National Public Organisation and participants of the organisation's 20th Congress and Forum via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 13, 2025. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will not attend what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years on Thursday, the Kremlin sending instead a group of experienced technocrats.

EXCLUSIVE: What began as a Kremlin tactic to buy time now risks backfiring, with Volodymyr Zelensky's direct challenge leaving Vladimir Putin under growing pressure.

"Indeed, President Putin has an invitation to pay an official or working visit to Iran. The dates have not yet been agreed. As soon as they are agreed, we will inform you," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about a possible visit.

The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will not participate in the Ukraine peace talks scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s urging for his attendance.

Vladimir Putin has admitted a key problem with Russia's economy as the country misses an oil target. The President underscored at a meeting with members of the Business Russia Association yesterday that one of the key issues is high inflation,