Ekrem Imamoglu, 55, faces more than 140 charges including corruption and running a criminal organisation. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of up to 2,430 years.

He and his Republican People’s Party (CHP) deny any wrongdoing. They accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his allies of launching a crackdown over the leader’s decline in popularity.

Prior to the trial, which begins on Monday, Imamoglu was widely seen as one of the few politicians capable of defeating Erdogan, who has been at the top of Turkish politics since 2003.

Imamoglu struck a defiant tone ahead of the trial, in comments given to news agency Reuters by his legal team last month, urging Erdogan to call elections immediately.

Another 407 of Imamoglu’s supporters have also been put on trial, accused of running a criminal corruption network headed by the opposition figure, who prosecutors describe as its “founder and leader”.

The former mayor was arrested in March last year on the day he was named as the leader of the CHP and its presidential candidate for 2028. He has been held at the Marmara prison complex ever since, where his trial is due to take place.

His detention triggered the country’s largest street protests in more than a decade, followed by hundreds of arrests and a police crackdown.

Apart from the corruption case, prosecutors have accused him of a raft of other offences including espionage and forging his university degree, a qualification he would need to become president and that has since been annulled.

Turkish authorities deny that the judiciary is being used as a political tool.

But the trial has been strongly criticised by rights groups.

“The trial of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu follows more than a year of weaponising the criminal justice system against his party and other CHP elected officials while he sits in jail,” Benjamin Ward, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement last week.

“Looking at these cases as a whole, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that prosecutors are trying to remove Imamoglu from politics and discredit his party in ways that undermine democracy.”

Amnesty International called the charges brought against Imamoglu “absurd”.

“This politically motivated prosecution, which is based almost entirely on secret witness testimony, is riddled with serious international fair trial and rule of law issues,” Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty’s deputy director for Europe, said on Friday.

The Turkish government has insisted that the judiciary operates independently.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, the former chief prosecutor who led the investigation into Imamoglu, told reporters on Friday: “I simply did my duty as a public prosecutor. My conscience is clear.”

Imamoglu was first elected as Istanbul’s mayor in 2019 and was re-elected in April 2024, defeating the governing AK Party candidate by almost a million votes.

His victory stunned Erdogan and his party, with many political commentators in Turkey describing it as the president’s “worst defeat ever”.

Here’s where things stand on Monday 2 June 2025:

• Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to hold ceasefire talks in Turkiye’s largest city a day after Kyiv carried out unprecedented drone attacks across Russia. The first round of talks held last month concluded without a breakthrough, but the two sides agreed on a prisoner swap.
• In Sunday’s attack, airbases in five Russian regions were targeted, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry. Several fighter jets caught fire in the attacks, the ministry said. Other attacks were repelled and there were no casualties, it said.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks “absolutely brilliant”, adding that planning for the operation had begun a year and a half ago. “Ukraine is defending itself, and rightly so – we are doing everything to make Russia feel the need to end this war.”
• Monday’s talks to be presided over by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan comes as the two sides have escalated attacks. Explosions caused two bridges to collapse in Russia on Sunday, and at least 12 soldiers were killed in a Russian missile attack on a military base in Ukraine’s Dnipro region.

What we know about the talks schedule, delegates

The second direct talks in over two weeks comes amid efforts to end the three-year war.

The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, according to Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian state media reported.

Turkish officials said the meeting would start at 1pm local time, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presiding over the talks and officials from the Turkish intelligence agency also present.

However, Ukrainian spokesperson Tykhyi said the start would be at midday local time. It was not immediately possible to clarify the discrepancy.

Ukraine, European partners coordinate ahead of Istanbul talks

Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya and delegation member Oleksandr Bevz have met with representatives of Germany, Italy, and the UK in Istanbul.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi, the meeting aimed to coordinate views on the agenda items of the Ukraine-Russia negotiations.

He added that Kyiv officials reiterated the items on their agenda.

Delegations arrive at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace for talks

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have arrived at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace, along with senior Turkish officials, for their second round of direct peace talks, according to the footage shared by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

The delegations arrived in cars and entered the venue, the footage showed.

Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul: State media

The delegation, headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived in Istanbul for ceasefire talks with Ukraine, according to the Russian state news agency RIA.

Istanbul talks: What are Ukraine and Russia’s positions?

Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow will Monday hold a second round of direct talks on the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine.

But what are their visions of what a peace settlement could look like at the negotiations?

Ceasefire

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to cover combat on air, sea and land.

Kyiv says meaningful discussions over a long-term peace deal can only happen once fighting has paused.

“First – a full and unconditional ceasefire. Second – the release of prisoners. Third – the return of abducted children,” Zelensky said on Sunday on social media, outlining Kyiv’s priorities for Monday’s talks.

Putin has rejected Ukrainian and Western calls for an immediate ceasefire.

The Kremlin says it does not rule out agreeing some kind of ceasefire at Istanbul, but that talks should address the “root causes” and look to strike a “long-term settlement.”

For Putin, the “root causes” of the conflict are grievances with Kyiv but also the West and NATO over what Russia sees is their expansion into former Soviet or communist countries.

Moscow has demanded strict limits on Ukrainian military activity should any truce be agreed – such as a ban on mobilisation and halt to the flow of Western weapons.

On the status of annexed Ukrainian territories

Russia has repeatedly demanded it retain territory in southern and eastern Ukraine that it occupies and for Kyiv to cede even more land.

Moscow in 2022 annexed four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – despite not having full control over them.

Russia also annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

At a first round of talks last month, Ukraine accused Moscow of repeating those demands and threatening to accelerate a ground offensive into the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, over which Russia has made no formal claim.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said recognition of Moscow’s ownership of these territories was “imperative” for any negotiations.

Ukraine has said it will never recognise its occupied territories, including Crimea, as Russian.

NATO and security guarantees for Ukraine

Zelenskyy has for months been calling for “security guarantees” for Ukraine to stop Russia invading again.

His top demand would be for Ukraine to be admitted to NATO, or for Ukraine to fall under the military alliance’s Article Five collective defence term.

Trump has however, dismissed the possibility of Ukraine joining the bloc and Russia says NATO membership would be “unacceptable”.

Instead, Kyiv is pushing for some other form of Western military commitment that would deter Moscow.

Britain and France are leading discussions about a possible European troop deployment to enforce any ceasefire, among a group of countries dubbed the “coalition of the willing”.

But Kyiv still wants Washington to back up any “security guarantee”.

Moscow has said it would not accept troops from NATO countries being deployed to Ukraine in any capacity.

We can’t ignore Russian threat: UK PM

The UK cannot ignore the threat posed by Russia, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said, before the publication of a strategic defence review that is expected to call for greater readiness to fight a modern war.

“We cannot ignore the threat that Russia poses. We’ve seen what happened in Ukraine just over three years ago,” Starmer told the BBC, when asked if the UK would have to send troops to fight in a future European conflict.

Moscow says Ukraine launched more than 100 drones on Russia overnight

The Russian Defence Ministry says Ukraine launched a huge air attack overnight, using 162 drones.

In a statement, it said the air raid targeted nine regions, claiming most of the drones were either jammed or shot down.

The largest number was downed over Kursk (57 drones), followed by Belgorod (31), according to the ministry.

Russia security service thwarts Ukraine-ordered railway sabotage attempt: RIA

Russia’s security service, the FSB, has thwarted an attempted arson attack on railway transportation in the far eastern Russian region of Primorsky Krai, or Primorye, that was to be conducted on Ukraine’s order, Russia’s state RIA news agency reported on Monday.

“It was established that two 19-year-old residents of Primorsky Krai, on orders from Ukrainian special services and expecting to receive a monetary reward, committed actions aimed at setting fire to track-side relay cabinets,” RIA cited the service as saying.

Ukraine has yet to comment.

Putin ‘doesn’t quite know how to get out of the war’, US VP says

US Vice President JD Vance has expressed doubt that the Russian president has a clear strategy to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine, suggesting that Vladimir Putin may be trapped without an exit plan.

“I think President Putin, he doesn’t quite know how to get out of the war,” Vance told reporters before returning to Washington, DC, after attending Pope Leo’s inauguration.

“One open question is, is Vladimir Putin serious about negotiating peace? … He has taken some serious steps in these conversations, but we feel like we’re at a point where we’re hitting an impasse,” he added.

Vance warned about potential US disengagement if progress stalls: “That takes two to tango. I know the [US] president’s willing to do that. But if Russia is not willing to do that, then we’re eventually just going to have to say this is not our war.”

Ukrainian delegation arrives in Istanbul for ceasefire talks

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has announced the arrival of the officials, who are set to hold talks with Russian officials in the afternoon.

This will be the second round of direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022.

Ukrainian, Russian officials in Istanbul for talks

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Turkiye for their second round of direct peace talks in about two weeks.

The talks are expected to start in the afternoon, with the Turkish foreign minister presiding over the discussions.

The meeting comes a day after Ukraine’s security service said it launched a drone attack deep inside Russia, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the rival sides have escalated attacks on each other amid ceasefire efforts.

Follow this page for round-the-clock updates and analyses of the latest developments.

You can read about key events from Monday, June 2, here and here.

Zelenskyy slams Russia’s ‘disrespect’, says strong response needed

Ukraine’s president has said Russia’s decision to send a delegation of low-level representatives for talks in Turkiye was a “sign of disrespect”.

“Russia once again demonstrated that it does not intend to end the war,” Zelenskyy said on X. “We expect a clear and strong response from partners.”

Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks provide ‘reasons for hope’

Turkiye’s top diplomat says there is cause for hope before the expected talks between Russian and Ukrainian mediators in what could be their first direct talks in more than three years.

“If the parties’ positions are harmonised and trust is established, a very important step towards peace will have been taken. We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the end of a NATO meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.

‘It is probably going to be technical talks between the two delegations

I am standing right in front of the Ukrainian embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where Zelenskyy is addressing members of the foreign media.

He said that since Russian President Vladimir Putin is not coming, there is no need for him to be in the direct talks in Istanbul that are going to take place either late today or tomorrow.

But he chose a delegation that could be in the same equilibrium as the Russian delegation, and he said they didn’t mind taking the first step towards an immediate ceasefire that is necessary for direct peace talks.

This is what Turkish President Erdogan has also been advising his Ukrainian counterpart today during their meeting and the working lunch.

Before that, presidential sources announced that Erdogan would emphasise the importance of an imminent ceasefire and the necessity of direct peace talks.

There won’t be any negotiations, and Zelenskyy underlined that even his delegation has no mandate to decide anything.

So tomorrow, it is probably going to be technical talks between the two delegations.

We are ready for direct negotiations: Zelenskyy

The Ukrainian president says all parties must demonstrate a willingness for negotiations, and that the first step must be the unconditional ceasefire.

If the unconditional ceasefire is possible today without the leaders present, then it’s unnecessary to meet, as there is a first step towards peace, he says.

If there is a signal from Russia that an unconditional ceasefire must be decided during direct talks, we are ready for direct negotiations, he adds.

Russia and Ukraine are under a lot of pressure

We have had a couple of interesting comments coming out of that NATO meeting in Antalya.

Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, says that Russia and Ukraine must compromise on a path towards peace and that Turkiye hopes intensive discussions between the sides will achieve results.

We also have Mark Rutte, NATO secretary-general, saying that Russia is not taking on the opportunity Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been providing by sending a low-level delegation.

Russia and Ukraine are under a lot of pressure, particularly from the US administration, to show that they are serious about some sort of peace talks.

The Trump administration has threatened to abandon its diplomatic role unless progress is made.

We have seen Zelenskyy being leaned on heavily by Washington and the Trump administration in February, culminating in that infamous confrontation in the White House, in the Oval Office, between US Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy.

Now, Trump has been showing more impatience recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening increased sanctions on the Russians unless they show serious progress towards peace.

Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks provide ‘reasons for hope’

Turkiye’s top diplomat says there is cause for hope before the expected talks between Russian and Ukrainian mediators in what could be their first direct talks in more than three years.

“If the parties’ positions are harmonised and trust is established, a very important step towards peace will have been taken. We have enough reasons to be hopeful,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at the end of a NATO meeting in the southern Turkish city of Antalya.

Ukraine to send delegation to Istanbul headed by defence minister: Zelenskyy

Here are some of the key points made by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and translated to the press:

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in their meeting, has reiterated his support for Ukraine and believes Crimea is Ukraine, which is an important “signal” of friendship for Ukraine.
• Turkiye and Ukraine have both provided high-level delegations, but Russia’s delegation indicates they are “not serious”, and there were no decision-makers in their delegation.
• Out of respect for Erdogan and US President Donald Trump, and to try and achieve at least “the first step” to end the war, Zelenskyy said he would still send a delegation to Istanbul headed by the defence minister.

Zelenskyy is now speaking to the press in Turkiye

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now finished his meeting at the presidential complex in Turkiye’s capital, Ankara and is addressing the press.

We will bring you more shortly.

Trump expects little progress towards peace until he meets Putin

US President Donald Trump says, “Nothing’s going to happen until Russian President Vladimir Putin and I get together, OK?”

He made the comment to reporters on board Air Force One just before landing in Dubai on the third stop of his Middle East trip.

Earlier, Trump, who had pressed for Putin and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to meet in Istanbul, brushed off Putin’s absence from the talks.

“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.

Kremlin sees talks as a ‘positive step’

Russian officials say they are prepared for the Istanbul negotiations, and that Russia is aiming for a long-lasting solution in this conflict, and it sees the resumption of direct negotiations with Ukraine as a positive step.

Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov also called the events in Istanbul intriguing, and his deputy said the outcome of the talks would depend on the Ukrainian side.

It took quite a while for the Kremlin to finally reveal the names of the Russian delegation to the peace talks in Kyiv today.

Just an hour before midnight, Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with members of the negotiation group, as well as his top ministers and top military officials briefing them about these talks.

He was the one who proposed these peace talks in Istanbul, causing a lot of hustle and bustle worldwide.

Ukrainians ‘don’t have a lot of optimism’ for Turkiye meetings

They know there are political gains to be made, they know that this is a political chess game that Zelenskyy is playing, but in terms of practical impact on the ground, a path to peace that ends the war, even an interim 30-day ceasefire, there isn’t a great deal of optimism, and perhaps with good reason.

This morning, reports from the military here in Ukraine say that Russia launched an offensive on the Kharkiv region, with Russian soldiers using armoured vehicles and motorcycles.

This morning … Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Zelenskyy “pathetic” for expecting Putin to attend this meeting.

But there are political gains to be made. Zelenskyy, illustrating with this high-profile top official delegation going to Turkiye, proves to the US under Donald Trump and this White House that Europe and Ukraine are not the problem; it’s Moscow that seems unwilling to go forward with these talks in a meaningful way.

‘Rash to predict whether there will be any meaningful discussion’

According to Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank, the pressure the US has exerted to attempt to bring an end to the fighting in Ukraine has “evolved over time”.

“It appears that the most recent elements in that evolution, particularly in terms of European solidarity with Ukraine, have led Russia to engage in direct talks,” he told Al Jazeera. “It would be rash to predict whether there will be any meaningful discussion at all, since the acceptable outcomes for both are still far apart.

“Russia wants to neutralise Ukraine as an independent sovereign state, while Ukraine wants to survive.”

Giles said direct talks mark “a significant step forward”.

He added: “Anything that has been referred to as peace talks [so far] has not been anything of the sort,” describing two parallel discussions that the US has had with Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow team says seeking ‘long-term peace’ at Ukraine talks

Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says Moscow aims for a “long-term peace” in the first direct peace talks with Ukraine for more than three years.

“The purpose of the direct talks proposed by [Vladimir] Putin is to establish long-term and lasting peace by eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide sent to Istanbul as Russia’s top negotiator, wrote on Telegram.

If you’re just joining us

Here’s what you need to know:

• The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to travel to Istanbul, where direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set to take place.
• Western leaders have criticised Russia’s decision to send a junior delegation to Istanbul, with Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna saying it is “like a slap in the face”.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he was not officially informed about who was attending from the Russian side, but that the delegation looks “decorative”.
• Zelenskyy is meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Turkiye’s capital, Ankara, while an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting is also taking place in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

Photos: Zelenskyy meets with Erdogan

‘A waiting game’ in Istanbul

We’ve been standing here with a crowd of about 100 journalists, expecting something to happen. We’re by the gates of the Dolmabahce Palace, where the first Russian-Ukrainian direct negotiations are supposed to take place.

They were supposed to start in the morning. Still, nothing has happened.

The NATO ministers have been saying they want to see what comes out of these negotiations and how it goes. But because nothing’s happening, they can’t draw any conclusions yet.

We’ve heard the Estonian foreign minister say the delegation [excluding top officials] that Russia has sent here to Istanbul is a slap in the face to the Ukrainian side.

The French foreign minister has also complimented the Ukrainian president for showing up in Turkiye, whereas the Russian president is not there, and there’s an empty seat where there should have been a seat for Putin.

Putin currently has no plans to go to Istanbul talks: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to travel to Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says, adding that the Russian delegation is there and ready to meet the Ukrainian team.

Asked if Putin would go to Istanbul if US President Donald Trump did, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia did not know yet how the negotiations would go and that the Ukrainian delegation had not yet shown up.

Russia’s position in peace talks reflects new realities on the frontline: Kremlin

Russia’s position on a possible peace deal with Ukraine has changed to reflect changes on the frontlines where Russia has been advancing, says Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

When asked by reporters if Russia’s position had changed since June 2024, when President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia, Zakharova said: “Yes, there are these changes in the Russian position.”

“These changes are reflected by changes on the ground,” she said.

Zakharova quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who in 2024 said that Ukraine shrank in territory every time it walked away from talks with Russia.

On possible talks in Istanbul, Zakharova said: “As for the Ukrainian side: How ready is it? What is it ready for? I think, this will be shown, including today in Istanbul.”

‘A waiting game’ in Istanbul

We’ve been standing here with a crowd of around a hundred journalists, expecting something to happen. We’re by the gates of the Dolmabahce Palace, where the first Russian-Ukrainian direct negotiations are supposed to take place.

It was supposed to start in the morning. Still, nothing has happened.

The NATO ministers have been saying they want to see what comes out of these negotiations and how it goes. But because nothing’s happening, they can’t make any conclusions yet.

We’ve heard the Estonian foreign minister say that the delegation [excluding top officials] that Russia has sent here to Istanbul is a slap in the face to the Ukrainian side.

The French foreign minister has also complimented the Ukrainian president for showing up in Turkiye, whereas the Russian president is not there, and there’s an empty seat where there should have been a seat for Putin.

Meeting between Zelenskyy and Turkey’s Erdogan has begun

The two presidents are expected to have one-on-one and inter-delegation meetings in the presidential complex in Ankara.

It’s a high-stakes visit, especially for the Ukrainian side.

Zelenskyy, as soon as he arrived at the airport in the capital Ankara, announced that he would decide on some things after his meetings with Erdogan.

I’m in front of the Ukrainian embassy in the capital, Ankara, and following his meeting with Erdogan, we expect Zelenskyy to come here and hold a press conference with the foreign media.

Zelenskyy said he would not be meeting the Russian delegation unless he was sure that this group of people representing Russia would be eligible to make decisions.

He might directly return to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, or fly to Istanbul.

There are so many rumours right now, but everything will be more concrete after we hear from Zelenskyy following his meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

Russia grabs a bit more of Ukraine as it heads into peace talks

Russian forces made creeping advances through Ukraine’s east this week, as the two countries prepared to hold their first direct talks in three years on Thursday.

Russian forces captured the settlement of Kotlyarivka, southwest of the embattled area of Pokrovsk, on Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces took the community of Mykhailovka, also in Donetsk.

Read our weekly roundup of the conflict here.

Russian rouble steady amid news of Ukraine-Russia talks

“Markets are relatively calm amid expectations of peace talks. The rouble continues to receive support from low demand for foreign currency by importers and high interest rates,” says Maxim Timoshenko from Russian Standard bank.

The Russian currency has risen by more than 40 percent against the dollar this year.

The rouble has surprised analysts in recent weeks, maintaining strength despite low prices for oil, Russia’s main export.

Analysts suggest that hopes for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, as well as slow imports, are contributing to the currency’s strength.

Photos: NATO’s informal meeting of foreign ministers in Antalya

Here are some photos from a NATO summit in Antalya, Turkiye.

Two other meetings are taking place today. In Ankara, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will meet Turkish President Erdogan, while direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will take place in Istanbul.

Western leaders criticise Russia for sending low-level delegation

Presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky heads Russia’s delegation, which includes a deputy defence minister, a deputy foreign minister, and the head of the GRU military intelligence agency.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Zelenskyy had shown good faith by travelling to Turkiye, but there was an “empty chair” where Russian President Vladimir Putin should be sitting.

“Putin is stalling and clearly has no desire to enter these peace negotiations, even when President Trump expressed his availability and his desire to facilitate these negotiations,” he said.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin’s dispatching of a low-level delegation to Turkiye for talks regarding the war in Ukraine was “like a slap in the face”.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who is in Antalya, said that Zelenskyy has shown “readiness for that peace” by travelling to Turkey but criticised Russia for sending “low-level individuals”.

Inside the mind of Vladimir Putin

When Russian President Vladimir Putin was growing up in a dilapidated apartment block in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, he and his friends would chase rats through the corridors with sticks. One day, a huge rat he’d cornered suddenly turned on the young Vladimir and chased him back to his quarters.

“I got a quick and lasting lesson in the meaning of the word cornered,” Putin recalled in a 2000 interview.

As the tale has been retold and analysed over the years, a consensus has emerged among Kremlin watchers: Putin identifies with the cornered rat, forced to lash out when he believes his survival is at stake.

You can read more about the Russian president’s life and what comes next after 25 years in power here.

Trump plays down Putin no-show

President Donald Trump said he was not surprised that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be a no-show for the talks.

“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Qatar on the third day of his visit to the Middle East. “Why would he go if I’m not going?”

But he added, “You know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday if it was appropriate.

“We can help the world psychologically. So we think we’re going to do well with Russia/Ukraine,” he said.

Russian delegation appears ‘decorative’: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he was not officially informed about who was attending from the Russian side, but it looks “decorative”.

He also says Ukraine is in touch with the US delegation regarding the talks with Russia.

Russia ready for ‘serious’ talks with Ukraine, says Foreign Ministry

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the comments a day after Putin held a meeting with senior government officials and members of a Russian delegation in preparation for today’s talks.

Turkiye hosts critical diplomatic talks across Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya

There’s a lot going on diplomatically in Turkiye today.

In Antalya, there is an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting happening right now. In Ankara, President Zelenskyy is due to meet with President Erdogan.

And here in Istanbul, we are standing right by the Dolmabahce Palace where there is expected to be some level of direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations for the first time in three years.

Now, what’s been coming up in Antalya so far is that there are two items on the agenda. There will be a closed-door trilateral meeting involving the American, Turkish and Syrian delegations to discuss the political landscape of Syria following Washington’s decision to lift sanctions, and of course, discussing the situation with Ukraine.

A lot has been on standby diplomatically. They are discussing the extent of aid that can be provided to Ukraine and potential sanctions against Russia if no progress is achieved in these talks over this week.

Turkiye hopes Istanbul talks will open new chapter for Ukraine-Russia peace

Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says there is a new window of opportunity to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, adding that he hopes planned talks will open a new chapter.

Fidan was speaking at the opening of an informal NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

US, Europe readying sanctions on Russia’s energy, financial sectors: French FM

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has revealed that the US and Europe are preparing further sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors.

Barrot’s comment, reported ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye’s Antalya coastal city on Thursday, comes as Russia’s President Putin chose not to attend much-anticipated talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul with a Russian delegation on ending the war in Ukraine.

Turkiye hopes Istanbul talks will open new chapter for Ukraine-Russia peace

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says there is a new window of opportunity to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia, adding that he hoped planned talks would open a new chapter.

Fidan was speaking at the opening of an informal NATO foreign ministers meeting in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.

US, Europe readying sanctions on Russia’s energy, financial sectors: French FM

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has revealed that the US and Europe are preparing further sanctions on Russia’s energy and financial sectors.

Barrot’s comment, reported ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye’s Antalya coastal city on Thursday, comes as Russia’s President Putin chose not to attend much-anticipated talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul with a Russian delegation on ending the war in Ukraine.

Russian jet entered NATO airspace, says Estonia’s foreign minister

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Russia sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace today for about one minute to “check on the situation” as Estonia was attempting to detain a ship in Russia’s shadow fleet.

The foreign minister described the situation as “very serious”.

The incident occurred as NATO foreign ministers arrived in Turkiye today for an informal summit.

Trump open to any mechanism resulting in just peace in Ukraine: Rubio

There is no military solution to the Russia-Ukraine war and US President Donald Trump is open to any mechanism that would result in a just peace, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Speaking before the start of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye on Thursday, Rubio said the US wants to see progress and is growing “impatient” with the lack of traction.

“Obviously, like everyone else, impatient, we want to see it happen, but it’s difficult. But you know, hopefully progress will be made here soon,” Rubio said.

Zelenskyy to meet with Turkiye’s Erdogan before talks

Zelenskyy will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara before any talks with Russian officials, according to a senior Ukrainian official.

“The president starts his visit with Erdogan in Ankara and only then will the president decide on the next steps,” the official told the AFP news agency following reports that a Russian delegation had arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukrainian counterparts.

Putin discussed Ukraine talks with Russia’s most senior officials, Kremlin says

President Putin held a late-night meeting with some of Russia’s most powerful officials to discuss upcoming peace talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin has said.

Among those present was Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, chief of Russia’s general staff Valery Gerasimov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, spy chiefs and senior Russian commanders.

Where does Germany stand on the Istanbul talks?

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said any deal reached between Moscow and Kyiv must not be a “dictated peace”, and urged unity among Western allies as negotiations begin.

Merz told the German parliament on Tuesday that it is of “of paramount importance that the political West does not allow itself to be divided”.

He also warned that this week, the EU may tighten sanctions on Russia if the two sides cannot come to an agreement in Istanbul, because “more compromise and more concessions are no longer reasonable”.

No indication Russia wants peace in Ukraine, says Latvian foreign minister

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said there is no indication that Russia wants peace in Ukraine and that it was important to weaken Russia’s military capabilities.

“Weakening Russia’s military capabilities is the most direct and cheapest way … to achieve peace in Ukraine,” Braze told reporters on Thursday ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkiye.

Putin’s low-level delegation in Turkiye a ‘slap in the face’: Estonian FM

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Putin’s dispatching of a low-level delegation to Turkiye for talks regarding the war in Ukraine was “like a slap in the face”.

The foreign ministers of NATO member states are currently meeting in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya.

The Russian delegation has arrived in Istanbul

Russia’s delegation has landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.

It is still unknown what time negotiations will begin, with Russian officials saying the exact time has yet to be confirmed.

Another unknown variable is how long talks will last.

Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested to Russian outlet TASS they could extend beyond Thursday.

“Today is the beginning of negotiations. Everything will depend on their progress,” he said.

NATO chief says ceasefire is up to Russia

NATO chief Mark Rutte said that Ukraine has made it clear they want a ceasefire and immediate talks, so Russia must respond.

“It is now up to the Russians to make sure they take the next steps necessary,” Rutte told reporters from the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Antalya, Turkiye.

“I’m still cautiously optimistic that if also the Russians are willing to play ball, and not only the Ukrainians are doing this … that you could get to some breakthroughs over the next couple of weeks,” Rutte said.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze, however, said the security bloc sees “no indications that Russia wants peace in Ukraine”.

No agreement on when talks in Turkey may start, Ukrainian official says

A Ukrainian official said there had been no agreement on when talks with Russia will start in Turkey, dismissing an earlier report from Russian state media.

Andriy Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said on the Telegram messaging platform that there was no truth to the report by Russia state news agency TASS that 10 am local time in Istanbul (0700 GMT) had been set for talks to start this morning.

This “was not planned and was not true,” he said.

Why does Russia keep mentioning its 2022 talks with Ukraine?

Mention of Russia and Ukraine’s talks in Istanbul back in 2022 are everywhere in Moscow’s official messaging this week, and it’s no coincidence, according to Russian journalist Alexander Baunov.

“Everything has been done to ensure that Moscow’s proposal does not appear to be the result of pressure from Washington,” he wrote in a Russian-language post for Carnegie Politika.

“This is reminiscent of Moscow’s previous concession: agreement to de-escalation in the Black Sea at the end of March. It was also important for the Russian leadership then to emphasize that nothing new was happening: the grain deal, which was not extended in 2023, was simply being resumed,” he said, according to an unofficial English translation.

“Moscow is presenting its new initiative in a similar way: nothing new is happening, after a long break, we are simply proposing to resume the 2022 negotiations that Ukraine interrupted at the behest of the West. That is, we are not proposing negotiations because Trump wanted them.”

‘Any meeting with Zelenskyy would be disastrous’: Jailed Russian war hawk

Russian nationalist and jailed Kremlin critic Igor Girkin wrote in a Telegram post that any direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would be “disastrous” both for Putin and for “the negotiating stance of the Russian Federation”.

“Zelenskyy has made a very clever move, putting Moscow in an extremely disadvantageous position” by offering to meet in person in Istanbul, Girkin wrote from prison.

“If Putin agrees to direct negotiations with Zelenskyy, then a barrage of mockery in the West begins, since Putin has so many times personally and through his close allies declared Zelenskyy’s illegitimacy … In fact, his meeting with Zelenskyy is a recognition of Zelenskyy’s complete legitimacy,” he wrote, according to an unofficial English translation.

“However, not meeting will not improve the situation in the Russian Federation either, since all the world’s media … will perceive this as a reason to accuse Russia of having proposed negotiations and of disrupting them,” he wrote. “That is, wherever you throw it, it’s a wedge, a defeat everywhere.”

Girkin, a former officer of Russia’s Federal Security Service, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2024 for criticising Putin’s handling of the war in Ukraine.

Before then, he played a chief role in Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea. He was also linked to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 with a Russian surface-to-air missile.

‘Significant step’: Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkiye – what to expect

Russia and Ukraine are poised to start talks in Turkiye this morning, even though the prospects of President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy meeting directly for the first time in three years were dashed by the Kremlin late on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Putin proposed the idea of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye, instead of the rounds of indirect talks that the US and others have tried to mediate between the neighbours at war.

Read our explainer here about the talks, what prompted them, who’s expected to attend, and why the negotiations matter.

Talks on Ukraine to start in Istanbul shortly: TASS

Russia’s TASS news agency reports that talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are scheduled to start at approximately 10am local time [07:00 GMT] today, and will be held behind closed doors.

A source told TASS that the negotiations will take place at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

Why did Putin call for talks now?

There are many theories about why Putin has called for talks, but Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and founder of the site R.Politik, cautioned against reading too much into it.

Stanovaya wrote in a lengthy post on X that the talks do not necessarily indicate that Putin is open to reaching an agreement, much less scaling back the Russian military position.

Instead, the Russian leader appears to be responding to Trump’s lack of interest in the war and a push by European leaders for an unconditional ceasefire, she said.

“Putin sees an opportunity to draw Ukraine into an ‘Istanbul-2’ process, closely resembling the talks of March–April 2022, to pursue the same objectives – now including the newly annexed territories,” she wrote.

“His aim is to stall Western arms deliveries, exploit any weakening of Zelenskyy’s position, and exacerbate Ukraine’s internal instability. He also wants Kyiv to lift its ban on talks with Russians, which would allow broader outreach within Ukraine. He does not believe, even for a moment, that Kyiv in its current state can agree to Russian terms.”

Ukrainian FM says Putin must stop ‘avoiding the meeting’ with Zelenskyy

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said he met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in a week when “the epicentre of world diplomacy is now in Turkiye”.

Sybiha said he briefed the Turkish foreign minister on battlefield and diplomatic developments in Ukraine, as well as Kyiv’s commitment to “a full and durable ceasefire” and the “highest-level direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia”.

He also said in his post on social media that “Putin must stop rejecting the ceasefire and avoiding the meeting with President Zelenskyy”.

Who is on the Russian delegation?

Russia’s TASS news agency reports that the Russian delegation will be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led talks back in 2022. The other chief negotiators will be Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik has said the Russian team will likely aim to work off the same platform as they did during the 2022 talks.

Moscow continues to express doubt about a ceasefire, however, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleging that it will only “give Kyiv a respite to restore its military potential in order to continue the confrontation with Russia”.

Talks in Istanbul, what we know

• Delegations from Kyiv and Moscow are expected to hold their first direct talks since 2022 in Istanbul on the possibility of ending Russia’s war on Ukraine.
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will travel to Turkiye, but said his attendance at the negotiations would depend on Russian President Vladimir Putin also showing up.
• It appears that Putin will not attend – his name was not included on the Kremlin’s list of those attending the talks, though the Russian president had proposed the Turkish city as the location for negotiations.
• US President Donald Trump, who is currently on a trip to the Middle East, had suggested he might also attend if Putin were to do so.
• After the Kremlin’s announcement that Putin would not attend, US broadcaster CNN cited White House officials as saying that Trump would not travel to Turkiye either.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in Turkiye for a NATO meeting, will attend the negotiations in Istanbul, Trump said.
• The Reuters news agency reports that Trump’s two senior envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will also travel to Istanbul for the talks, according to three sources familiar with their plans.

UN chief calls for immediate Ukraine ceasefire as step to ‘just peace’

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin ahead of Thursday’s planned peace talks in Istanbul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine”.

Guterres said a ceasefire would “pave the way for a just peace … based on the UN Charter and international law, namely respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

The secretary-general said the UN is ready to support the talks, but emphasised that both Russia and Ukraine must request its involvement.

“The UN is ready to provide whatever support if the parties agree, would ask the UN to do so, but obviously this does not depend on us, it depends on the parties,” he said.

US Secretary of State Rubio meets NATO ministers in Turkiye before Ukraine-Russia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his NATO counterparts met in Turkiye on Wednesday to prepare for a pivotal summit of alliance leaders next month.

Their meeting in the coastal city of Antalya comes amid planned talks in Istanbul aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Rubio is expected to attend the talks today, The Associated Press news agency reports.

Rubio also met with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting.

Sybiha said on X that he explained Zelenksyy’s “vision of further peace efforts” during “this critical week” to Rubio.

“We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches,” he added.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says ‘waiting to see’ who attends Istanbul talks from Russia

In a post on social media early this morning, the Ukrainian leader said he had held several meetings regarding the “format in Turkiye”, where talks are expected to start later today on ending the war in his country.

Zelenskyy, who has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the talks in person, said he was “waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take”.

“So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing,” he said.

The Kremlin has published a list of officials set to attend the talks, and Putin’s name was not included.

Can Istanbul talks pave way to end the war in Ukraine?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has agreed to attend a meeting proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul on Thursday, as long as Putin is there in person.

A glimmer of hope to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians – and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

So, can this meeting in Istanbul stop the fighting?

Watch the full report on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story:

A recap of recent developments

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a delegation of high-level Russian officials will travel to Turkiye for direct talks on the war in Ukraine today, but the Russian president himself does not appear on a list of attendees.
• An order issued by Putin was published on the Kremlin’s website late on Wednesday, stating that Russian presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, and director of the Main Intelligence Directorate Igor Kostyukov will be among those travelling to Turkiye.
• Thursday’s planned negotiations in Turkiye’s commercial hub, Istanbul, mark the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow on ending the war since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to hold talks with Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, and had said he would attend the negotiations with Russia in Istanbul if President Putin attended.
• In a post on social media on Wednesday evening, Zelenskyy said: “I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing.”
• US President Donald Trump’s senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will travel to Istanbul for the talks, three sources familiar with the plans told the Reuters news agency.

Welcome to our live coverage

Hello, and thank you for joining our live coverage of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war that started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

Stay with our live team as we bring you all the latest developments, analyses and reactions throughout the day.

The protests began after the arrest of a key opposition figure – Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – on Wednesday.

He was detained on charges of corruption and aiding terrorist groups, days before he was due to be announced as a candidate for the 2028 presidential election.

In a speech on Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the protests and said his government would not “surrender” to “vandalism” or “street terror”. “We will not accept the disruption of public order.”

Imamoglu has reportedly been questioned by Turkish police ahead of his expected court appearance later today – with more protests expected later on.

Imamoglu, who is from the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), is seen as one of Erdogan’s strongest political rivals.

He was one of more than 100 people, including other politicians, journalists and businessmen, detained as part of an investigation.

Thousands gathered in protest in Istanbul on Friday. Riot police reportedly fired rubber bullets and pepper gas as they clashed with hundreds of demonstrators. Other clashes were reported in Izmir.

Ozgur Ozel, the leader of CHP, had called for the third nightly protest outside Istanbul’s city hall at 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT) and said the president was afraid of the protests.

He also asked people elsewhere in Turkey to demonstrate peacefully at the same time, wherever they are in the country.

“Break down those barricades without harming the police, take to the streets and squares,” he said.

Authorities tried to stifle the street demonstrations with a four-day ban on all gatherings in Istanbul, announced straight after the arrests on Wednesday.

They have since extended this order to Ankara and the western coastal city of Izmir as protests have spread, with tens of thousands gathering across Turkey.

Ahead of Friday’s protests, Istanbul’s pro-Erdogan governor ordered the closure of the Galata and Ataturk bridges, both of which cross the Golden Horn estuary to where city hall is located.

Interior minister Ali Yerlikaya has similarly criticised the demonstrations, calling the opposition “irresponsible”.

Another 54 people have been arrested for violating a law on “inciting the public to hatred and hostility” by posting online, he said.

Yerlikaya added that 16 police officers have been injured in the demonstrations.

The arrests of Imamoglu and others follow a major nationwide crackdown in recent months, targeting opposition politicians, journalists and figures in the entertainment industry.

Opposition figures say the arrests are politically motivated. But the Ministry of Justicehas criticised those who link Erdogan to the arrests, and insist on their judicial independence.

Imamoglu won a second term as Istanbul’s mayor last year, when his CHP party swept local elections there and in Ankara.

It was the first time since Erdogan came to power that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box.

The elections were also a personal blow to the president, who grew up in, and became mayor, of Istanbul on his rise to power.

Erdogan has held office for the past 22 years, as both prime minister and president of Turkey. Due to term limits, he cannot run for office again in 2028 unless he changes the constitution.

The CHP’s presidential candidate selection, in which 1.5 million members will vote and Imamoglu is the only person running, is set to take place on Sunday.

The party has also called on citizens to vote in a symbolic election, with plans to place ballot boxes in districts all over Turkey for people to show their support for the detained mayor.

Ekrem Imamoglu, from the secular Republican People’s Party (CHP), is seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strongest political rivals.

Prosecutors accused him of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, calling him a “criminal organisation leader suspect”.

Police detained 100 people – including other politicians, journalists and businessmen – as part of the investigation, and the Istanbul governor’s office has imposed four days of restrictions in the city.

Imamoglu said online “the will of the people cannot be silenced”.

Protesters have taken to the streets and university campuses, and in underground stations, with crowds chanting anti-government slogans. It is a display of public anger not seen in years.

There were reports of clashes between protesters and police in Turkey’s largest city. Footage from Reuters news agency shows police using pepper spray to disperse crowds outside Istanbul University.

Thousands of people rallied in the cold in front of the city hall, shouting: “Erdogan, dictator!” and “Imamoglu, you are not alone!”

The government has banned public gatherings in Istanbul as part of the four days of restrictions. But more protests are anticipated nationwide as opposition leaders, including Imamoglu’s wife, urge people to “raise their voices”.

Many streets in Istanbul have also been closed to traffic, while some metro lines have also cancelled their services.

In a social media video Imamoglu said he filmed while police were outside his home, he vowed to “stand resolute” for the people of Turkey “and all who uphold democracy and justice worldwide”.

And in a handwritten note posted on his X account after his arrest, he said the people of Turkey would respond to “the lies, the conspiracies and the traps” against him.

UK-based internet watchdog Netblocks said on Wednesday Turkey had severely restricted access to social media sites like X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

The arrest comes as part of a major crackdown nationwide in recent months, targeting opposition politicians, municipalities, journalists and figures in the entertainment industry.

Following the Istanbul mayor’s arrest, concerns over Turkey’s shift toward autocracy were expressed on social media, with some calling for an opposition boycott of the upcoming presidential elections, arguing that a fair and democratic vote is no longer possible.

Imamoglu’s party, the CHP, even condemned the arrests as “a coup against our next president”, a sentiment widely echoed by pro-opposition voices.

But Turkey’s justice minister criticised those who linked Erdogan to the arrests.

Yilmaz Tunc said it was “extremely dangerous and wrong” to suggest this was a political move, insisting that nobody was above the law in Turkey.

Erdogan and his party have also denied the claims, insisting that Turkey’s judiciary is independent. He has been in power for 22 years.

Last year, Imamoglu won a second term as Istanbul’s mayor, when his CHP party swept local elections there and in Ankara.

It was the first time since Erdogan came to power that his party was defeated across the country at the ballot box.

The elections were also a personal blow to the president, who grew up in and became mayor of Istanbul on his rise to power.

Dozens of police officers were involved in the early-morning raid on Imamoglu’s house in Istanbul.

The CHP’s presidential candidate selection, in which Imamoglu is the only person running, is set to take place on Sunday.

Imamoglu’s arrest came a day after Istanbul University annulled his degree due to alleged irregularities – a decision which, if upheld, would prevent him from running in presidential elections.

According to the Turkish constitution, presidents must have completed higher education to hold office.

Imamoglu called that move “legally baseless”, adding that universities “must remain independent, free from political interference and dedicated to knowledge”.

Presidential elections are currently scheduled for 2028. Erdogan cannot currently run for office again, as he is in his second term and previously served as prime minister before that.

The only way Erdogan could contest another election would be to change the constitution, or call an early election before his term ends.

As well as being accused of extortion and fraud, Imamoglu is also alleged to have aided the PKK.

The PKK – or Kurdistan Workers’ Party – has waged an insurgency since 1984, and is proscribed as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US.

Earlier this month the group announced its decision to lay down arms, following a call from its imprisoned leader, who had engaged in talks with Turkish officials.

International reaction to the arrest has been negative, with EU, French and German officials all condemning the arrests.

A Council of Europe statement said the detention of Imamoglu “bears all the hallmarks of the pressure on a political figure considered as one of the main candidates in forthcoming presidential elections.”

The Turkish lira, meanwhile, briefly crashed to an all-time low against the US dollar, as markets reacted poorly to the political uncertainty.

While many were shocked to wake up to the news of Imamoglu’s arrest, legal pressure on the popular opposition leader is far from new.

He has faced multiple investigations and was handed a political ban in December 2022 over allegations of insulting Turkey’s electoral board in 2019 – a verdict he appealed, with the final ruling still pending.

Additionally, he has been the subject of cases related to alleged tender irregularities during his tenure as mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district.

More recently, on 20 January, a new case was filed against him over his criticism of a prosecutor.

In a statement on Saturday, the PKK said it hoped Turkey would release Ocalan, who has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since 1999, so he can lead a process of disarmament.

It follows his call this week aimed at ending four decades of armed struggle in south-eastern Turkey in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

His announcement came months after Devlet Bahceli, the leader of Turkey’s ultra-nationalist MHP party and an ally of the Turkish government, launched an initiative to bring an end to the conflict.

Ocalan – affectionately referred to as Apo by Kurdish nationalists – met MPs from a pro-Kurdish party this week on Imrali, an island in the Sea of Marmara, south-west of Istanbul, where he is imprisoned.

“In order to pave the way for the implementation of leader Apo’s call for peace and democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective from today,” the PKK executive committee said in a statement on Saturday, quoted by the pro-PKK ANF news agency.

“None of our forces will take armed action unless attacked,” it added.

The PKK – which stands for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party – said Ocalan’s prison conditions must be eased, adding he “must be able to live and work in physical freedom and be able to establish unhindered relationships with anyone he wants, including his friends”.

The group has waged an insurgency since 1984, with the aim of carving out a homeland for Kurds, who account for about 20% of Turkey’s 85 million people. It is banned as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US.

Calling for disarmament, Ocalan had appealed to members of the PKK in a letter read out by Dem party members Ahmet Turk and Pervin Buldan in both Kurdish and Turkish.

He said “all groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself”, adding that his movement was formed primarily because “the channels of democratic politics were closed”.

However, Bahceli, backed by positive signals from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other political parties, had created the right environment for the PKK to lay down its arms, Ocalan added.

Kurdish leaders largely welcomed the development. Local reports said thousands of people gathered to watch the statement on big screens in the cities of Diyarbakir and Van in the predominantly Kurdish south-east.

However, significant questions remain among both the Kurdish and Turkish public over what the next steps might be – and not everyone was convinced things would change.

Last week, senior PKK commander Duran Kalkan said Turkey’s ruling party, the AKP, was not looking for a solution but to “take over, destroy and annihilate”.

Turkish-backed forces in north-eastern Syria have intensified their campaign against Kurdish forces and last month called on Syria’s new leaders to eliminate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Pro-Kurdish politicians have been targeted by a wave of arrests and jail sentences in recent years.

Some 40,000 people have died since the PKK’s insurgency began.

There was a spike in violence in south-eastern Turkey from 2015 to 2017 when a two-and-a-half year ceasefire broke down.

More recently, in October the PKK claimed an attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters near Ankara which left five people dead.

His statement, read out in a letter by MPs from a pro-Kurdish party, was aimed at ending four decades of armed struggle in south-eastern Turkey in which tens of thousands of people have been killed.

Ocalan, 75, had earlier met the MPs for several hours on Imrali, an island in the Sea of Marmara south-west of Istanbul where he has been imprisoned in solitary confinement since 1999.

His announcement came months after ultra-nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli, who is part of Turkey’s government, launched an initiative to bring an end to the conflict.

“There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realisation of a political system,” Ocalan’s letter read. “Democratic consensus is the fundamental way.”

Appealing to members of the PKK – the Kurdistan Workers’ Movement – Ocalan said “all groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself”.

He said the movement – banned as a terrorist group in Turkey, the EU, UK and US – was formed primarily because “the channels of democratic politics were closed”.

However, Devlet Bahceli, backed by positive signals from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other political parties, had created the right environment for the PKK to lay down its arms, he added.

Bahceli has for years pushed for tough military action against the PKK, but last October he surprised colleagues by shaking hands with MPs from the pro-Kurdish Dem party in parliament and then suggested Ocalan could be given parole if he gave up violence and dissolved his armed group.

Some 40,000 people have died since the PKK took up arms. There was a surge of violence in southeastern Turkey from 2015-17 when a two-and-a-half year ceasefire broke down.

More recently, in October the PKK claimed an attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters near Ankara which left five people dead.

The fire broke out at thewooden-clad12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.

An initial toll of 10 dead was raised significantly in the hours after the fire by Turkey’s interior ministry. At least two people died after trying to jump to safety.

It took 12 hours for the fire to be put out. Nine people have been arrested, including the owner, the justice minister says.

The identities of all 76 are yet to be confirmed, but among those released so far are Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer with Fenerbahce Sports Club in Istanbul, and her mother Ferda.

The club said it had learned of the news with “deep sorrow” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

Eslem Uyanik, a young chef at the hotel, died along with Ceren Yaman Dogan, the daughter of a well-known local businessman, and her 17-year-old daughter Lalin.

Nedim Turkmen, a writer for Sozcu newspaper, his wife Ayse Neva, and their two children aged 18 and 22 were also named, along withProf Atakan Yalcin, who was dean of Ozyegin University Business School.

Dilara Ermanoglu, 24, was among the victims, and her father who had gone to Bolu to look for her was treated by health workers for a heart attack.

Health minister Kemal Memisoglu said that of the 51 injured people, one was receiving treatment in intensive care, and 17 people had been discharged.

“Our pain is great,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.

Footage circulating in Turkey showed linen hanging from windows which was used by those trying to escape the burning building.

Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told the BBC he was on the second floor of the hotel when the fire broke out and managed to get out via the ski room. He then helped with relief efforts.

Eyewitnesses said the family that owned the hotel had been there at the time of the fire and Mr Kepcetutan said he saw some of the family outside.

The cause of the fire has not yet been found, but Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports suggested it had broken out in the restaurant section of the hotel’s fourth floor and spread to the floors above.

Aydin said the distance between the hotel, in Kartalkaya, and the centre of Bolu, paired with the freezing weather conditions, meant it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive. Emergency services sent 267 workers to the site.

The hotel was investigating whether guests, including children, were trapped in their rooms as the fire spread.

The hotel had two fire escapes, according to the interior minister, and one hotel worker said they had managed to rescue 30-35 people.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.

The hotel was last inspected in 2024, and the tourism minister said there had been no concerns regarding the hotel’s fire safety prior to Tuesday’s disaster.

However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguisher system is needed.

“In the photos on the hotel’s website, it is seen that the automatic sprinkler system, which was supposed to be installed in 2008, was not installed,” the union said in a statement.

It added that it was unclear if other regulations had been complied with, but based on the statements of survivors, “it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and the escape routes could not be determined”.

The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and Turkey’s capital Ankara, which is roughly 170km (105 miles) away, and the hotel was operating at high occupancy at the start of two-week school holidays.

Former UK ambassador to Turkey Sir Peter Westmacott told the BBC he had stayed in the area in the past, and that the fire “feels very personal”.

“The fact that so many people have lost their lives is just devastating news for those of us who care about Turkey,” he said.

The fire broke out at the 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there, he added.

An initial toll of 10 dead was raised significantly in the hours after the fire by Turkey’s interior ministry. At least two people died after jumping from the hotel’s windows, Turkish reports said.

Footage circulating in Turkey showed linen hanging from windows which was used by those trying to escape the burning building.

Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin said initial reports suggested the fire had broken out in the restaurant section of the hotel’s fourth floor and spread to the floors above.

The hotel was investigating whether guests had been trapped in their rooms as the fire spread.

The governor told reporters the distance between the hotel, in Kartalkaya, and the centre of Bolu, paired with the freezing weather conditions, meant it took more than an hour for fire engines to arrive.

Rescue efforts continued through the morning, and the interior minister said emergency services had deployed 267 people to respond to the fire.

By mid-morning the local mayor said they were still trying to reach parts of the hotel.

The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and the capital Ankara and the hotel was operating at high occupancy at the start of two-week school holidays.

The north-western town is about 170km (105 miles) from Ankara.

Although the fire was confined to one hotel, the governor told Turkish media that a neighbouring hotel was evacuated as a precaution.

Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told Turkish TV he had managed to escape because he knew the hotel, while guests who did not know it as well as him were not as fortunate.

“People were shouting at the windows, ‘Save us,’ because there was intense smoke inside. We pulled 20-25 people out,” he told NTV.

The circumstances that led to the fire are not yet clear.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said prosecutors had been allocated to investigate the blaze.