Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to skip Thursday’s peace talks in Turkey on Newsmax, Wednesday, calling it a missed opportunity for Putin to reverse course on his war in Ukraine.

Putin’s decision not to attend peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday drew sharp criticism from Costa, who said the Russian leader squandered a key moment to pursue diplomacy.

“This was Putin’s big chance to try to back out of what he’s done in Ukraine by showing up at this meeting,” Costa said during an appearance on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” “But his no-show is an affront not just to Ukraine, but to Western Europe, and also President Trump, who said he might go and meet with him.”

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