This is when it will be known whether Putin is going to the meeting with Zelensky

A senior US official said today that Washington does not expect Moscow to announce its plans until early Thursday morning. Trump said yesterday that he would fly to Istanbul for a meeting if necessary. The US president is in the Middle East this week, where he will meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Over the weekend, US officials urged Zelensky to agree to a meeting with Putin in Istanbul and to publicly announce his plans to openly demonstrate his intentions for peace talks with Moscow.

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US officials hope Russia will agree to a comprehensive 30-day truce on land, in the air, at sea and in areas of critical infrastructure, a senior US official said, adding that Kyiv has already agreed to abide by such an agreement. The truce is also supported by the Europeans, the official said.

If Russia does not agree to a truce, the European Union will impose additional sanctions on Moscow, a senior US official and another senior European official told Reuters. The package of sanctions would target Russia's so-called "shadow fleet".

America confirmed: If Putin comes, so does Trump

US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, retired general Keith Kellogg, said that the United States hopes that Vladimir Putin will come to Istanbul for negotiations. If that happens, he said, President Trump will come.

"We want to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, and only then open the issue of territory," Kellogg said in an interview with Fox Business.

US media previously reported that Trump's decision to come to Istanbul depends on whether Putin will show up for the talks. The Trump administration confirmed earlier today that it will send Kellogg and Steve Witkoff to Turkey to represent the US at potential talks between Russia and Ukraine.