Ukraine proposed to Russia to hold a high-level meeting in Istanbul. However, President Vladimir Putin refused, thereby missing an opportunity to move toward peace, according to a press conference by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Military experts have warned the Russian president's war-machine could be fully rebuilt to strength and made ready to attack NATO neighbours by 2027 if a peace deal is struck in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv will send a delegation led by defence minister Rustem Umerov for direct talks with a Russian team in Istanbul. During a press conference in Ankara following a meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

Russian warplanes entered Nato airspace in Estonia, triggering an emergency alarm in the Baltic Sea. The violation, which lasted for a minute, has been condemned by Tallinn's Foreign Minister as “very serious” and “not acceptable in any way”.

The UK criticized the Russian delegation that Vladimir Putin sent to Türkiye for the talks instead of himself. Against this backdrop, Britain has called for a stronger NATO, according to The Guardian and Independent.

There is no specific intelligence at present that suggests Russia intends to attack NATO. But intentions are fluid. In his public speeches, Vladimir Putin has justified his war to conquer Ukraine in several ways: the need to defend Russian-speakers in Donbas;

New satellite imagery shows a significant build-up of Russian troops and military infrastructure near the Finnish border, in a move that has alarmed Nato allies