Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meet in Istanbul for first talks in 3 years

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul on Friday at their first direct peace talks in more than three years.

Live television showed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressing Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus. Half of the Ukrainian delegation wore camouflage military fatigues, sitting at a table directly facing their Russian counterparts, who were in suits.

Fidan said it was critical to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. He said he was happy to see the will of both sides to open a new window of opportunity for peace, and it was important that the Istanbul talks form the basis for a meeting between leaders of the two countries.

"There are two paths ahead of us: one road will take us on a process that will lead to peace, while the other will lead to more destruction and death. The sides will decide on their own, with their own will, which path they choose," Fidan said.

The two sides had not met face-to-face since March 2022, the month after the start of the ongoing conflict.

The head of Ukraine's delegation, setting out Kyiv's priorities, said peace was only possible if Russia agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, the return of Ukrainian children that it accuses Russia of abducting, and an exchange of all prisoners of the conflict.

Russia says it wants to end the conflict by diplomatic means and is ready to discuss a ceasefire. It has, however, raised a list of questions and concerns, saying Ukraine could use a pause to rest its forces, mobilize extra troops and acquire more Western weapons.

Ukraine and its allies accuse Putin of stalling and say he is not serious about wanting peace.

It was Putin who proposed the direct talks in Türkiye, but he spurned a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet him there in person, instead sending a team of mid-level officials. Ukraine responded by naming negotiators of similar rank.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg were also in Istanbul, where a flurry of separate diplomatic contacts took place earlier on Friday.

Rubio told reporters on Thursday night that, based on the level of the negotiating teams, a major breakthrough was unlikely.

"I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm 100 percent wrong. I hope tomorrow the news says they've agreed to a ceasefire; they've agreed to enter serious negotiations. But I'm just giving you my assessment, honestly," he said.

(With input from Reuters)