Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

The latest talks could be an early litmus test on how seriously Moscow perceives President Trump's threats to impose sanctions — and how Russia might respond.

Vasily Astrov, expert on the Russian economy at the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, told Newsweek that "inflation has really subsided markedly over the past few months. The outcome of this policy has been a marked cooling of domestic demand, with the welcome side effect of rapid disinflation.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will meet in Istanbul on Wednesday evening for their first peace talks in more than seven weeks, with Moscow under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to strike a deal or face tough new sanctions.

A plane carrying a Russian delegation departed from Moscow for Turkey on July 23 to hold a third round of peace negotiations with Ukraine, Russian news agencies quoted sources as saying. France 24's Jasper Mortimer tells us more.

The European Union and Britain are ramping up pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine. The EU has introduced new sanctions to deprive Moscow of energy revenue through a lower oil price cap and a ban on transactions with Nord Stream gas pipelines.

"The suitcase was found to contain an American Colt Commander, .45 caliber with three empty magazines," Russian officials said.

The intelligence chief said Putin's goal remains a fundamental reshaping of the global order to maximise Russian power.

President Donald Trump rehashed longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his first term, lashing out Tuesday following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on long-established findings about Moscow's interference in the 2016 election.