Last weekend saw a flurry of diplomatic activity surrounding the war in Ukraine. First, European leaders assembled in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of unity to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire.

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.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday urged the West not to be divided on Ukraine and said he was working to ensure unity between allies in Europe and the United States on how to end the war.

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.

Since his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump has pushed to end the war in Ukraine, including through talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But China – once seen as a potential mediator in the conflict – has been strikingly absent from the negotiations.

Russia and Ukraine say they want to talk about peace so what are the contours of any potential peace deal - and what are the dangers? Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Russia for a four-day trip to mark Victory Day commemorations. He is also due to hold talks with Vladimir Putin, and the two leaders are expected to sign several cooperation agreements.