Ukraine's president called on his Russian counterpart to jumpstart 'direct negotiations' to try to hash out a deal to end more than four years of war.

Vladimir Putin says there is 'no reason' to meet with Ukraine. The Russian President was responding to an open letter written by Volodymyr Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian President requested a face-to-face meeting with Putin to negotiate ending the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warm words for "old friend" Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, describing their relationship in personal terms and dismissing the notion that the war in Ukraine had driven a Russian "pivot" toward the East Asian power.

An open letter is the first public message Mr Zelenskyy has written directly to Mr Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.