For days, President Donald Trump repeatedly floated the possibility of scrapping his Middle East travel schedule — one his team meticulously crafted for weeks — and adding a stop to personally mediate Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey.

July 22, 2022: Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the U.N., agree on a deal to unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security. The deal expires a year later.

Direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators last took place in Istanbul in March 2022 in the early weeks of Russia's invasion. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he might visit Turkey for the talks as part of his trip to the Middle East this week but said he did not know if Putin would show up.

Uncertainty swirled around what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years after the Kremlin held off disclosing who would represent Russia, and Ukraine demanded clarity before deciding on its own actions.

Ukrainian officials say Russia launched more than 100 drones, rejecting calls for a ceasefire as Zelenskyy says he'll "be waiting for Putin" to join him for direct talks in Turkey.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding “direct talks” with Kyiv, a move welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky although he stressed that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire first.