Renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev's concert in an Italian palace has been canceled without explanation amid an uproar over his support for Vladimir Putin.

A meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is possible after Kyiv and Moscow agree on the draft memorandums, stated Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to RIA Novosti.

Russian forces, meanwhile, pounded four Ukrainian cities in nighttime attacks that officials said killed a child.

Russia said that it expected talks with Ukraine later on Wednesday in Istanbul to be "difficult", downplaying expectations of a breakthrough at a meeting between the two sides after nearly three and a half years of war.

Vladimir Putin is open to peace after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky suggested fresh ceasefire talks, Moscow said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president was ready to negotiate, but that Russia remained committed to “achieving its goals”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to move toward a peace settlement for Ukraine but Moscow's main objective is to achieve its goals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television in a clip published on Sunday.

Russia unleashes fresh drones and missiles onslaught on Ukraine's civilians in defiance of US demands for an end to the war, even as there is talk of a fresh summit to try and end the conflict

The U.K. chaired a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting to discuss rapid transfer of arms including Patriot missiles, as the Britain responds to President Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin.