The United States and European governments are making a concerted push to stop the fighting, which has killed more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians.

Russian leader's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is preparing for peace talks in Istanbul, and the Kremlin will announce who will represent the Russian side in talks with Ukraine as soon as Vladimir Putin deems it necessary.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the stakes ahead of a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday by saying he wouldn’t hold talks with any Russian representative other than the president himself.

By Anton Kolodyazhnyy, Steve Holland and Lidia Kelly MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's offer to join proposed Ukraine-Russia peace talks triggered a flurry of diplomacy as powers from Europe to the Middle East sought a possible path out of the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that if President Trump attended the talks, it would put pressure Russia’s leader, Vladimir V. Putin, to meet face-to-face.