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.

The promise of direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul has derailed European efforts to get the United States on board with imposing new sanctions on Russia if there is not an immediate 30-day ceasefire.

The Russian president faced pressure from Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky to travel for the talks in Istanbul on Thrusday.

President Donald Trump may join in on Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey on Thursday, as the world awaits to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin will show up.

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.