The meeting is meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator,” escalating a public war of words between the two leaders that started when Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia.

Russian and U.S. diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday for talks aimed at restoring their respective diplomatic missions, seen as a step towards ending the war in Ukraine, both sides said on Wednesday.

Senior officials from the U.S. and Russia meet in Saudi Arabia on improving ties and ending the war in Ukraine - but Ukraine isn't invited.

Last week, high-level talks between Russia and the United States took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The talks focused on strategies to end the ongoing war in Ukraine and restore severely strained dip

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused President Donald Trump of perpetuating Russian “disinformation" on Wednesday, while Trump clapped back and labeled Zelenskyy a “dictator" who has failed his country.

The European Union's diplomatic service has proposed boosting the bloc's military aid for Ukraine, aiming to show continued support for Kyiv as the United States and Russia have begun talks about ending the war.