Russia and Ukraine’s first direct talks in three years began Friday with hopes as dim as the gray Istanbul skies.

Ukraine rallied support from its Western allies on Friday after Kyiv and Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire at their first direct talks in more than three years, with Russia presenting conditions that a Ukrainian source described as "non-starters".

Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each during peace talks held in Istanbul on Friday, in what would be the biggest prisoner swap of the conflict. The negotiations, which lasted less than two hours and were mediated by Turkey, marked the first time the nations have engaged in direct peace talks since the war began.

KYIV (Reuters) -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Kyiv and its partners were considering arranging a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russian president says resumption of contacts in Istanbul last week suggests parties 'generally moving in the right direction' - Anadolu Ajansı

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 18, following the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, where the leaders discussed sanctions on Russia and recent peace talks in Istanbul.

Russia overnight into Sunday launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly said he would bring an end to the war within a day of taking office. Putin said Russia's goal is to remove what he called the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine and create conditions for lasting peace, according to the RBC news agency.