Previous peace talks in Turkey resulted in an agreement for a large prisoner swap (1,000 prisoners each), but failed to secure a ceasefire. Russia has continued to strike targets inside Ukraine despite calls for a halt to hostilities.

The US, under President Trump, continued to call for negotiations and expressed willingness to meet with Putin, but did not impose new sanctions or reprimands after Putin avoided direct talks with Zelenskyy. Trump has instead focused on setting up his own engagement with Putin and has not directly pressured Russia for refusing the ceasefire.

President Trump is pressing both sides to quickly come to an agreement and is preparing to personally speak with both Putin and Zelenskyy. He has called for an immediate halt to hostilities and has expressed hope that direct talks will lead to a productive outcome to stop the violence.

The ongoing hostilities have resulted in high soldier casualties and recent civilian deaths, including a drone strike that killed nine civilians. The situation underscores the urgent need for effective peace talks and a cessation of violence.

Ukraine's European allies have threatened Russia with sanctions and retaliation if it rejected the ceasefire. However, Russia has now rejected the ceasefire, and so far, no significant new sanctions have been imposed as a direct response to this recent refusal.