Ukraine and Russia are holding their first direct talks in three years this Thursday, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is skipping them, after his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky challenged him to a face-to-face meeting. Instead, a lower-level Russian delegation has been sent to Istanbul for the negotiations. After landing in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelensky was set to decide whether he would attend the talks, having previously said that he would only take part if Putin did too. Former French ambassador to Russia, Claude Blanchemaison, gives us his insight in our Perspective programme.