Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the stakes ahead of a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey by saying he wouldn’t hold talks with any Russian representative other than the president himself.

"We are waiting for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's agreement and we agree that if there is no real progress this week, we want to work together at European level for a significant tightening of sanctions," Merz said at a news conference with his Greek counterpart.