Kyiv | An anticipated round of Ukraine peace talks in Turkey descended into bluster and confusion on Thursday (Friday AEST), as Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in different cities and spent much of the day questioning whether they would even meet with one another.

By evening, both sides indicated that the talks in some form were still on, but that they could be postponed until Friday (Saturday AEST). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting the Turkish capital of Ankara, slammed the Kremlin for its “disrespect” in sending a mid-level delegation to Istanbul, where Russia wanted the talks to take place.