Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet for direct peace talks in Istanbul

Russian and Ukrainian delegations are meeting in Istanbul for the two countries' first direct peace talks in more than three years. The trilateral meeting was chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Ukraine has sent Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to head its delegation, while the Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The last direct engagement between the two sides was also in Istanbul in March 2022, but concluded without a ceasefire agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a separate meeting with his Turkish and Ukrainian counterparts prior to the talks.