🇺🇸🇷🇺🇹🇷⚡- BREAKING: The Russian delegation demands that the Russia-Ukraine talks, mediated by Turkey, take place without US presence.

The US is represented by Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy to Ukraine Kellogg.

🇷🇺🇹🇷⚡- Turkey says the talks were arranged for 12:30pm local time, however the Russian side arrived at Dolmabahce at 12:45pm.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇹🇷⚡- Russia's Head of the delegation Vladimir Medinsky is currently meeting US Secretary of State Rubio alone.

🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- "Peace is possible only if Russia shows readiness for concrete actions. This means a complete, unconditional 30-day ceasefire," - Rustem Umerov, Defense Minister of Ukraine and Head of Ukraine's delegation in Istanbul.

The comments were made to the press immediately following the US-Ukraine talks.

🇷🇺🇹🇷⚡- "The Russian delegation is in constant contact with the Presidential Office," - The Kremlin.

🇷🇺⚡- "Putin will hold a security council meeting this evening," - The Kremlin.

🇷🇺⚡- "Putin may hold an international phone call this evening," - The Kremlin.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- BREAKING: Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have begun.

🇹🇷 - Vladimir Medinsky, Head of Russia's delegation, is still meeting US Secretary of State Rubio. He will be joining the Russia-Ukraine talks late.

It's unknown if the US side will join the talks.

🇺🇸🇹🇷⚡- US Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy Kellogg will not be joining the talks, as the Russian side forbade them from doing so.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- "Iran paid a 16-year-old boy from Shefla to burn a page and a bill with an innoscription condemning Netanyahu, to photograph certain sites, and to take pictures of vitamin money in various places." - Shin Bet, Israeli internal security service.

🇮🇹🇦🇱⚡- Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama kneeled to welcome Italy's Giorgia Meloni to the European Political Community Summit in Tirana.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul are over - lasting less than 2 hours.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- Russia-Ukraine talks to resume next week Friday. Both sides cite some positivity.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- Ukraine's Defense Minister and Head of delegation Umerov says the talks have opened a way for a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting. Umerov has also said both sides have agreed to a large 1,000-1,000 prisoners of war exchange.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇹🇷⚡- "We will continue talks. We are satisfied with the result," - Vladimir Medinsky, Head of Russia's delegation.

🇺🇸🇺🇦⚡- Zelensky, Starmer, Tusk, Macron and Merz called US President Trump after the Russia-Ukraine talks ended.

🇾🇪🇮🇱⚡️- Reports of Israeli Air Force fighter jets buzzing Eilat flying south, possible strikes against Yemen occurring soon.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- Reuters says the Russian delegation demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainians from Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson, including territory not under Russian control.

🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- The Economist says the Russian delegation threatened to seize areas in Kharkov and Sumy to create buffer zones.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 - Reports of Russia 'walking out' from the talks are false, and spread by strongly anti-Russian outlets such as The Economist and Axios. Russia's Head of delegation Medinsky has said the talks were 'positive' and the Russian side were 'satisfied'.

The talks were conducted behind closed-doors, so the media can only speculate as to what was said. Ukraine's Defense Minister and Head of Ukraine's delegation Umerov will brief the press in an hour.

The Russian delegation is planned to head back to Moscow this evening, when Putin's security cabinet is set to also meet. Therefore a press briefing by Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov can be expected later tonight or tomorrow morning.