Marco Rubio says US president may need to ‘directly engage’ to determine ‘once and for all what it is the Russian side wants and whether peace is possible’

• Who are the diplomats Russia and Ukraine are sending to peace talks in Istanbul?

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday and after that will make a decision on talks with Russia in Istanbul, a Ukrainian official has told Reuters.

The Ukrainian president had previously proposed a face-to-face meeting in Turkey between himself and his Russian counterpart.