Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Turkey for peace talks on the war in Ukraine, despite calls from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky for him to attend.Russia's delegation at Thursday's talks in Istanbul will instead be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinksy,

The talks have taken place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe. Now, all eyes are finally turning to Istanbul to seek an end to Russia's 3-year-old,

For Turkey, peace with the PKK now would further reduce a weakened Iran’s ability to project power westward. Some groups suspected of being affiliated with the PKK, such as the Sinjar Resistance Units in northern Iraq, have been indirectly supported by Iran.