UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that he will wait for Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks aimed at ending the more than three-year war.

The initiative comes amid growing pressure from the United States to reach a negotiated settlement.

Speaking in Kiev, Mr Zelensky said that he would arrive in Ankara Thursday to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and would wait for Mr Putin to join the negotiations.