Türkiye hosts first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years, sides agree on largest prisoner exchange since war began

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations concluded their talks in Istanbul on May 16 after speaking for less than two hours, Sky News reported, citing an unnamed source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.