The Kremlin expects Russia and Ukraine to discuss the list of conditions for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine next week in Istanbul, its spokesman said on Friday, praising the U.S. role in mediating the talks.

President Aleksandar Vučić, who has refused to join western sanctions against Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, last year told the Financial Times that Serbian arms and ammunition were ending up on the Ukrainian side via intermediaries he claimed to have no control over.

Trump previously said it would take him "about two weeks" to know whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin was serious about a peace deal.

The United States wants Russia to agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire.

Russia's troop buildup on Ukraine's border raises tensions. Zelenskyy and Trump push for peace talks, but Moscow's refusal to hand over memorandum stalls negotiations.

BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday as Ukraine seeks further military support amid a recent escalation in Russia's bombing campaign, despite U.S.-led efforts to end the war.

By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces have captured four villages in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, the local governor said, the latest battlefield setback for Kyiv as it seeks to hold territory and avoid handing Moscow the advantage in any peace talks.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's foreign minister discussed at a meeting in Moscow efforts to end the war in Ukraine and developments since direct talks between the warring parties,