ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up Thursday for proposed direct peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was waiting for Putin in the capital Ankara after challenging him to face-to-face discussions on ending their countries’ more than three-year war.

Russian president Vladimir Putin stayed away from peace talks in Turkey, prompting criticism from Western officials that the Kremlin isn’t serious about the efforts to end the war.