European leaders gathering at a summit in the Albanian capital of Tirana have said they are ready to impose tough new sanctions on Russia following President Vladimir Putin's refusal to attend peace talks in Istanbul or to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
A low level Russian delegation nevertheless joined the first face-to-face talks with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul this morning, brokered by the Turkish foreign minister.
As some 47 leaders of EU and non-EU countries arrived in the Albanian capital, attitudes towards the Russian president were hardening.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Mr Putin had made a mistake by sending a low level delegation to Istanbul.
He said pressure must now be put on the Russian leader, a point echoed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ready to bring forward fresh sanctions hitting Russian oil exports and its financial sector.
In Istanbul, ahead of the first direct contact between Russian and Ukrainian officials in three years, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not optimistic about a breakthrough.
Moscow has said the talks should pick up where they left off shortly after Russia's full scale invasion. But the Kremlin's demands then amounted to the end of Ukraine as a sovereign state and as such that idea was a non-starter for Kyiv.
However, as delegates left, the Ukrainian defence minister answered in the affirmative when asked if the talks were productive.
The Kremlin this morning said a meeting between Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump was necessary for any progress towards peace.
