Russia, Ukraine hold first peace talks since 2022

Russians and Ukrainians sat face-to-face Friday in Istanbul for their first direct talks in over three years aimed at ending their war, but expectations for a breakthrough were low.

Kyiv is seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II which has also destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow says it wants to address the "root causes" of the conflict and revive failed 2022 negotiations in which it made sweeping territorial and political demands of Ukraine.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a ceasefire as he opened the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations around 1:35 pm (1035 GMT) in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace.

"While the war continues to take lives, it is of critical importance that the ceasefire be implemented as soon as possible," Fidan said.

He sat at the head of a table in front of Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags -- with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the room showed.

Hundreds of journalists were waiting outside the palace.

Speaking at a European summit in Albania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a "strong reaction" from the world if the talks fail, including new sanctions.

The two sides spent the 24 hours before the talks slinging insults at each other with Zelensky accusing Moscow of sending "empty heads" to the negotiating table.

Putin 'afraid' 

Nevertheless, the fact the meeting was taking place at all was a sign of movement, with both sides having come under steady pressure from Washington to open talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the talks, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.

Zelensky said Friday Putin was "afraid" of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks "seriously".

Both Moscow and Washington have also talked up the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump on the conflict.

"Contacts between presidents Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, adding that "a meeting is undoubtedly necessary."

Trump had said Thursday that nothing would be settled until the two leaders met.

"Our number one priority is a full, honest and unconditional ceasefire," Zelensky said as talks were underway.

"This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy."

If a ceasefire cannot be agreed, "it will be 100 percent clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy," he added.

And in that case, "the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions on Russia's energy sector and banks," Zelensky said.

Rubio in Istanbul 

Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian officials in Istanbul held meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg and the national security advisors of Britain, France and Germany.

Rubio urged a "peaceful" end to the war and said "the killing needs to stop", according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

A Ukrainian diplomatic source in Istanbul told AFP the delegation also wanted to discuss a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Another source accused Moscow of blocking US participation in the peace talks -- the first since early 2022.

Western leaders have criticised Putin for skipping the talks and sending his aide -- a former cultural minister who is not seen as a key Kremlin decision-maker -- Vladimir Medinsky.

Rubio acknowledged that the Russian representation was "not at the levels we had hoped it would be at" and downplayed expectations for a breakthrough.

Russia's Medinsky said Moscow saw Friday's negotiations as a "continuation" of failed 2022 talks, which he led -- a sign that Moscow's hardline demands have not changed.

But he pushed back against Zelensky's criticism and insisted the Russian delegation has a mandate from Putin to "find possible solutions."

Russia has repeatedly said it will not discuss giving up any territory that its forces occupy.

Kyiv's chief negotiator is Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who has roots in Crimea, the peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.

Russia continued its attacks in the hours ahead of the talks, with Kyiv saying at least two people were killed.

European leaders slammed Putin for skipping the Istanbul talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Moscow "doesn't want a ceasefire" in Ukraine.

While NATO chief Mark Rutte said Putin had made a "big mistake" by sending a lower-rank Russian delegation to Istanbul.