Russians and Ukrainians meet in Turkey for first talks in 3 years

ISTANBUL, May 16 (Reuters/AFP): Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul on Friday at their first direct peace talks in more than three years, under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two.

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 warring sides had not met face-to-face since March 2022, the month after Russia's invasion.

Expectations for a major breakthrough, already low, were dented further on Thursday when Trump, winding up a Middle East tour, said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

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 abducted Ukrainian children and an exchange of all prisoners of war.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday for "strong" Western action against Moscow, including new sanctions, if peace talks in Istanbul fail to produce a breakthrough.

"We had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Turkey," Zelensky told European leaders gathered in Tirana.

"If it turns out that the Russian delegation really is just theatrical and can't deliver any results today... there needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia's energy sector and banks," he said.

The first direct talks in more than three years on halting Russia's war on Ukraine started Friday in Istanbul, but without Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin attending, expectations are low that they will lead to a real end to the conflict.

Rubio says no high expectations

for Ukraine-Russia talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday downplayed expectations for the Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, after Moscow sent a low-profile delegation and both sides traded insults ahead of the negotiations.

"I want to be frank... we don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow," Rubio told reporters after NATO talks in Antalya, Turkey, echoing what his boss Donald Trump said about the negotiations earlier.