Putin should face consequences for rejecting peace (PM Starmer)
Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled to take place in Turkey, did not happen because Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to attend personally. Instead, Russia sent a lower-level delegation, which frustrated Ukraine and its allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was willing to attend only if Putin was also present. Putin's absence was confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who stated Putin had "work meetings" instead of participating in the talks. The Russian delegation was led by aides and deputy ministers, signaling no immediate breakthrough was expected.