Russia & Ukraine begin peace talks in Istanbul amid Trump ultimatum

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul on Wednesday evening began their first peace talks in more than seven weeks, with Moscow under pressure from Donald Trump to strike a deal or face tough new sanctions. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey hoped that the delegations from would hold results-oriented talks on memoranda they exchanged

The Kremlin has played down expectations of any breakthrough at the meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week should focus, in part, on preparing a summit between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“No one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said Kyiv saw a Putin-Zelenskyy meeting as the key requirement for a breakthrough.