President Zelenskyy says that if Donald Trump attends peace talks in Istanbul, it could force Vladimir Putin to participate — and Putin’s absence would be seen as a complete diplomatic defeat for the Kremlin. | empr.media :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

On Day 1,176 of Russia’s full‑scale invasion, Ukraine reported 163 combat clashes, one missile strike and 78 air attacks while its forces countered multiple assaults and struck 14 enemy concentrations. Russian drone use climbed to nearly 3,000 over the past day. | empr.media :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}