For the first time in over three years, Russia and Ukraine met face-to-face Friday in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing war, though officials and observers remain skeptical about any immediate breakthroughs.
A Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov sat across from a Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky at a U-shaped table, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, who shared a photo of the meeting.
A senior Ukrainian official close to the talks, speaking anonymously, said Kyiv’s team was ready to “achieve a lot today” with a real mandate to address key issues. However, the official emphasized that progress depends on whether Moscow is equally serious about resolving the conflict.
The two countries have been attempting to convince U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed frustration over the slow pace, that they are eager to find peace. Trump threatened to penalize any side seen as delaying talks.
Despite hopes for a significant step forward, the peace efforts got off to a rocky start Thursday when Russian President Vladimir Putin declined an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet in person. Delegations arrived separately in different Turkish cities, and the Russian team was notably less senior than Ukraine’s.
The gulf between the two sides remains wide, with starkly different conditions for ending the war. Trump has stressed that a meeting between himself and Putin is crucial to breaking the deadlock, telling reporters Friday in Abu Dhabi, “I think it’s time for us to just do it.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that high-level talks are “certainly needed,” but warned preparations would take time.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a full, 30-day ceasefire, but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing stringent conditions.
On the battlefield, Russian forces are reportedly preparing a new offensive, according to Ukrainian officials and Western analysts. The war has devastated Ukraine, killing more than 12,000 civilians according to the U.N., with tens of thousands of soldiers dead on both sides.
A Ukrainian soldier using the call sign “Corsair” expressed skepticism about the talks’ immediate impact: “I don’t think they will agree on anything concrete, because summer is the best time for war. The enemy is trying to constantly escalate the situation.” Still, he noted that many soldiers “believe that by the end of the year there will be peace, albeit an unstable one, but peace.”
The war’s toll hit home again Friday when a drone strike on Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and wounded four men, all municipal workers, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.
Zelenskyy criticized Moscow for sending a low-level negotiating team he called “a theater prop,” accusing Russia of lacking genuine intent to end the war. Yet, Ukraine’s decision to send a delegation led by its defense minister was meant to show the U.S. and others its commitment to peace.
In the lead-up to the talks, Ukrainian officials met with national security advisers from the U.S., France, Germany, and the U.K. to align positions. The U.S. delegation included retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy, while Turkish Foreign Ministry officials reported a three-way meeting involving Turkey, the U.S., and Ukraine.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio downplayed expectations, saying Thursday, “We don’t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin.”
