Ukrainian officials say Russia launched more than 100 drones, rejecting calls for a ceasefire as Zelenskyy says he'll "be waiting for Putin" to join him for direct talks in Turkey.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Russian negotiators at peace talks in Istanbul demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all the Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Donald Trump has been urged to pressure Russia with further sanctions, after Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky warned Vladimir Putin is “trying to buy time” to continue his war.The US president insisted progress had been made after his two-hour call with the Russian president on Monday.

Referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said the discussion will focus on "stopping the bloodbath."

Ukrainian officials and analysts say that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has few options but to draw U.S.