Summary of the day so far
It’s just past 8pm in Moscow, Kyiv and Istanbul. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022 in Istanbul, but without reaching any meaningful breakthrough. Neither Vladimir Putin nor Volodymyr Zelenskyy were present at the meeting held at the Dolmabahce Palace, which lasted just under two hours. Expectations were already low for the talks, with US officials playing down hopes and Moscow showing little willingness to compromise.
The only tangible result of the Istanbul talks was that Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each – the largest prisoner swap of the conflict. Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.
The meeting represents a symbolic win for Putin and will likely be seen as a setback for Zelenskyy. The Russian leader has been engaged in a delicate balancing act with Donald Trump, appearing to support peace talks to stay in Trump’s favour, while pushing for terms that in effect amount to Ukraine’s capitulation.
Moscow was satisfied with the results of the meeting and was prepared to keep talking to Kyiv, said Vladimir Medinsky, the ultra-conservative head of Russia’s delegation. Moscow has “taken note” of the Ukrainian request for Putin to meet Zelenskyy, he added.
Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, said the “next step” would be for Zelenskyy and Putin to hold direct talks. He said Ukraine’s priority had been “people” and described the prisoner exchange agreement as an “important achievement”. A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said the Russian delegation “voiced a number of things which we deem unacceptable” during talks in Istanbul.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his “number one priority is a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire”. “This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy,” he said as talks were held in Istanbul, as he renewed calls for sanctions on Moscow if it failed to agree to a ceasefire.
Pope Leo XIV has suggested holding peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the Vatican. The Vatican described the outcome of talks in Istanbul this week as “tragic” and said the pope
”plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides.The leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland held a call on Friday with Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine. Keir Starmer said the leaders had begun “closely aligning” a response to Russia’s “unacceptable” position in Ukraine peace talks, suggesting a concerted move by some western leaders to intensify sanctions if the Kremlin does not agree to a ceasefire, with Russian energy likely to be a target.
The former US ambassador to Ukraine said she resigned from her post because of Donald Trump’s policy of “appeasement” in the war launched by Russia. Bridget Brink, who resigned last month, said she “cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity.”
Pope Leo offers Vatican for Ukraine peace talks
Pope Leo XIV has suggested holding peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the Vatican.
According to Politico, the Vatican described the outcome of talks in Istanbul this week as “tragic” after Vladimir Putin refused to appear for face-to-face talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, told reporters on Friday:
This is all tragic because we hoped that it would be a, maybe slow, process, but with a peaceful solution to the conflict, and instead we are back at the beginning. Now we will see what to do, but the situation is difficult.
“The pope plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides,” he added.
Week of geopolitical poker over Ukraine ends with no endgame in sight
This week began with four European leaders, standing defiantly in Kyiv alongside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, issuing an ultimatum to Vladimir Putin: sign a ceasefire now, or together with Donald Trump we will force you to do so, with sanctions and other tough measures.
Over the subsequent days, there followed a series of offers, counter-offers, ultimatums and deflections, in a dizzying week of high-stakes diplomacy that often seemed to resemble a geopolitical poker game.
Yet by the end of the week there was no ceasefire and no sanctions. Various sets of talks were held in Turkey, for which nobody had much hope of a breakthrough, and the path to peace looked as unclear as it had done a week earlier.
Halfway through the week, the Guardian spent an hour with Zelenskyy, with three other European journalists, in his office at the presidential administration in Kyiv. He had just made the surprise announcement that he would travel to Turkey for talks, and challenged Putin to join him. It was a dramatic raising of the stakes and we asked if he felt a bit like he was playing poker.
He said: “With several people at once.”
Read the full analysis: Week of geopolitical poker over Ukraine ends with no endgame in sight
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has expressed her support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and promised to further “ramp up pressure” on Vladimir Putin.
She said she and António Costa, the president of the European Council, “stand firmly” with the Ukrainian president.
Our immediate priority is a full and unconditional ceasefire.
That’s why we’re further ramping up pressure to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
We’re putting hard-biting sanctions on Russia, package after package.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron said it was “unacceptable” that Russia again ignored a European and US call for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
It is “unacceptable that Russia and President Putin have not responded for a second time to the demands made by the Americans, supported by Ukraine and the Europeans,” Macron said.
He was speaking alongside the leaders of the UK, Germany and Poland in the Albanian capital Tirana, after a call with Donald Trump.
In a post on X, Macron accused Russia of not wanting peace and “merely trying to buy time by continuing the war.”
The former US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, said she resigned from her post last month because of Donald Trump’s policy of “appeasement” in the war launched by Russia.
“I cannot stand by while a country is invaded, a democracy bombarded, and children killed with impunity,” Brink wrote in a piece for the Detroit Free Press published on Friday.
I believe that the only way to secure US interests is to stand up for democracies and to stand against autocrats. Peace at any price is not peace at all – it is appeasement.
She said she served as a diplomat under five US presidents and agreed that her job was to carry out the White House’s policies. Brink wrote:
Unfortunately, the policy since the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia.
As such, I could no longer in good faith carry out the administration’s policy and felt it was my duty to step down. After nearly three decades serving our country, I resigned as our ambassador to Ukraine.
Ukraine says Russian delegation voiced 'a number of unacceptable things' during talks
Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi says the Russian delegation “voiced a number of things which we deem unacceptable” during talks in Istanbul.
He says Ukrainian officials handled it “in a calm manner” and outlined their positions. “We remained calm,” he tells reporters.
Ukraine calls for Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as 'next step'
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov says his country’s third objective is to hold “high-level discussions”.
I think the next step would be that [a] leaders level meeting should be organised. That would be our next step.
He reiterates that “Ukraine wants peace”.
Updated
Ukraine's defence minister says priority in talks was 'people'
Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, has been speaking to reporters following talks with Russia in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian delegation’s first priority in the talks was “people”, Umerov says, and both sides reached an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each.
He describes it as an “important achievement” that “shows that we are focused to finalise this war.”
Ukraine’s second objective was to discuss a ceasefire, Umerov says, and both sides “exchanged some modalities” and teams are now working on “exchanging the details”.
Russia says it is 'satisfied' after Ukraine talks end after just two hours
Despite the considerable fanfare, talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegation lasted under two hours.
A Ukrainian source speaking to Reuters described Russian demands as “non-starters,” while another speaking to the Associated Press accused the Kremlin of introducing “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from swaths of territory.
However, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov told reporters that the meeting did produce the largest prisoner swap deal of the war, where both sides will exchange 1000 prisoners. Talks focused primarily on a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange and a possible presidential meeting, he added.
The head of Russia’s delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said his side was “generally satisfied,” with the meeting according to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu. Both sides agreed to present their vision of a ceasefire, he said, after which talks can continue.
Moscow has “taken note” of the Ukrainian request for Russian president Vladimir Putin to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he added.
Medinsky told reporters yesterday that Moscow saw today’s talks as a continuation of failed talks in 2022, amid criticism from the Ukrainian side that the delegation dispatched by Putin wasn’t tasked with producing serious negotiations.
Zelensky, at a conference in Albania, said:
Russia sent almost the same people it sent in 2022. They show that Russia has not changed its basic approach ... They are doing everything they can to turn this Istanbul meeting into a staged, empty process.
Keir Starmer joined the leaders of France, Germany and Poland on a phone call to Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine, and said the countries are planning to “closely align” a response after finding Russia’s position unacceptable.
Speaking to reporters in Tirana in Albania, the prime minister said:
We just had a meeting with President Zelensky and then a phone call with President Trump to discuss the developments in the negotiations today. And the Russian position is clearly unacceptable, and not for the first time.
So as a result of that meeting with President Zelensky and that call with President Trump we are now closely aligning our responses and will continue to do so.
His comments suggest there will be a concerted move by some western leaders to intensify sanctions if the Kremlin does not agree to a ceasefire, with Russian energy likely to be a target.
Here are some images from the newswires from Istanbul, where Russian and Ukrainian officials met for the first direct peace talks in more than three years but with little hope for any meaningful breakthrough.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree 'in principle' to meet again, says Turkey
Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired today’s talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, said Friday’s meeting was an “important day for world peace”.
In a statement posted to X, Fidan said both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each as a “confidence-building measure”.
Russian and Ukrainian officials also agreed to “share with the other side in writing the conditions that would make it possible to reach a ceasefire,” he wrote, adding:
The parties also agreed in principle to meet again.
He added that Turkey will continue to “make every effort to make it possible to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
Ukraine 'ready to take fastest possible steps to peace', says Zelenskyy after call with Trump
Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he has spoken with Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk on Friday.
In a statement posted on social media, the Ukrainian leader wrote:
Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance.
Our position — if the Russians reject a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings, tough sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war.
Thank you to everyone in the world who is helping.
Updated
Officials from Ukraine and Russia opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – without Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy – for the first time in more than three years, but hopes for any meaningful breakthrough are limited.
Russia's 'unacceptable' stance raised with Trump, says Starmer
British prime minister Keir Starmer said on Friday that he and the leaders of France, Germany and Poland as well as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed the Russian position in peace talks was “unacceptable” and had discussed the matter with US president Donald Trump.
Speaking alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk at the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Starmer said the leaders were closely “aligning” on their response.
Updated
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk held a telephone call with US president Donald Trump on Friday, the Ukrainian leader’s spokesperson said.
The spokesperson told reporters that details of the conversation would follow soon.
The phone call took place after talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations ended in Istanbul, with a Ukrainian source calling Moscow’s demands “non-starters”.
Updated
Ukraine and Russia agree large POW swap
Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, defence minister Rustem Umerov told Ukrainian TV on Friday as talks in Istanbul ended.
If the exchange goes ahead, it would be the biggest prisoner swap in more than three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Updated
Russia introduced new 'unacceptable demands' for Ukraine to withdraw forces in talks
A Ukrainian official at the talks on Friday accused the Kremlin of introducing new “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from huge swathes of territory, according to the official.
The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make official statements.
The talks came after more than three months of diplomacy kickstarted by US president Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the devastating war swiftly.
Russian and Ukrainian officials opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – without Vladimir Putin or Volodomyr Zelenskyy – for the first time in more than three years, but hopes for any meaningful breakthrough are limited.
Images from the meeting held at the Dolmabahce Palace were stark: a row of Russian delegates in dark suits and opposite them Ukrainians wearing their trademark green camouflage combat fatigues.
Before the meeting, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, addressed Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at the palace on the Bosphorus.
“There are two paths today: one leads to peace, and the other will cause more destruction and loss of life. Both sides will choose which path to take,” he told the negotiating teams.
The talks began 24 hours later than planned after a day of confusion and political theatrics.
The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years lasted well under two hours, and there was no apparent sign of progress.
A Ukrainian source told Reuters that Moscow’s demands were “non-starters”.
The Ukrainian source told the news agency that Russia’s demands were “detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed”. They included “non-starters and non-constructive conditions.”
There was no immediate word from the Russian side.
Here is a video clip of Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking earlier. The Ukrainian president said his “number one priority is a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire.”
The US state department has issued a short statement about Marco Rubio’s presence at today’s talks in Istanbul. It said:
Secretary Rubio met with Ukrainian defence minister Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, and Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan today in Istanbul.
The three delegations discussed the importance of seeking a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war. The secretary noted today’s direct talks between Russia and Ukraine while reiterating the US position that the killing needs to stop.
Secretary Rubio also thanked foreign minister Fidan for hosting these important discussions.
It isn’t quite clear who the US state department statement is referring to, as Andriy Yermak is in Istanbul, but he is Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff. Rustem Umerov is the defence minister, who was leading the Ukrainian delegation. Presumably Rubio met both and there is just some confusion in the statement.
Talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have ended
Turkey’s foreign ministry has informed Reuters that the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have finished.
It was the first direct talks between the two nations since early in 2022, just after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Updated
Reuters has a quick snap that a Ukrainian diplomatic source has told the news agency Russia’s demands in Istanbul are unrealistic and go far beyond anything previously discussed.
More details soon …
Zelenskyy: 'Our number one priority is a ceasefire'
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his “number one priority is a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire” during talks with Russia to potentially pave the way for a future peace deal.
“This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy,” he said during talks between the two countries on Friday, which are being held in Istanbul.
“And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to a ceasefire … then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy,” he added, referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Updated
Our Berlin correspondent, Kate Connolly, has more detail on the newly elected German chancellor’s stance on support for Ukraine.
In his TV interview with host Maybrit Illner on Thursday night, German chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the importance of keeping up the joint European effort to bring about peace, by “speaking with one voice”.
While dampening hopes over the latest efforts to bring about a ceasefire, it was important to keep up the initiative, he said.
Europe was now following this path, and he advocated for it doing so “wherever possible, together with America”, stressing that he was “trying everything “to keep the Americans with us, to keep them on our side.”
Merz said he backed plans to increase pressure on Russia by upping punitive measures against it.
“The next package of sanctions is being prepared,” he said, in reference to a set of new EU measures due to come into force on Tuesday, aimed at nearly 200 ships in Russia’s so-called shadow fleet on the Baltic Sea, which Moscow is using to bypass the oil embargo imposed on it in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In his opening speech to parliament on Monday, Merz had stressed that Germany’s ongoing support for Ukraine was unquestionable, and pledged to boost the military at home to make Germany’s the “strongest conventional army in Europe”.
A week ago he took a train to Kyiv with the leaders of France and Britain to meet with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an effort to show their joint solidarity with Ukraine and to send a signal to Washington.
Our Berlin correspondent, Kate Connolly, has a write-up on the newly elected German chancellor’s change in tone on providing Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
Still adjusting to his recent move from opposition leader to German chancellor, Friedrich Merz has been noticeably recalibrating his tone and rhetoric this week, not least as he tries to put a stop to speculation over whether Germany will provide Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
This was often a sticking point between his predecessor Olaf Scholz, who was not in favour, and his foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who was backed by Merz – as leader of the then opposition conservatives, who in that role repeatedly gave his full-throttled support for their delivery.)
Speaking on German TV, Merz has now rejected the idea, going so far to claim, even, that discussions on whether to provide Kyiv with the cruise missiles, are no longer taking place within his conservative-social democrat coalition at all.
“We are no longer arguing about this issue in the coalition,” he said on a late-night discussion programme on ZDF, claiming it was not on the agenda “right now”.
“The Taurus has been jazzed up somewhat, as if it were near the nuclear threshold, and that’s wrong”,” he said.
Britain and France were delivering cruise missiles to Ukraine, he added, suggesting this was adequate, even as some military strategists back the idea of Taurus being deployed as a necessity to the war effort.
Merz criticised his predecessors for holding a discussion on the missiles at all, even as he himself waded into it. He now says he had no choice but to speak out on something so significant. To reveal every cough and spit of what Germany was considering was also unhelpful, he said, in the light of the fact that Putin is a fluent German speaker and would be following the debate in Berlin closely.
“Putin speaks good German. He only has to watch the evening news … to know what Germany and the Europeans are planning. That’s a strategic advantage for him and a strategic disadvantage for us,” he said.
Within the last 40 minutes, Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, has reported its correspondents have heard explosions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Ukraine aims to secure 'unconditional ceasefire' as Turkey hosts first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since 2022
Ruth Michaelson is in Istanbul for the Guardian, and brings this latest round-up of events from there:
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan spoke briefly as tripartite talks with Ukraine and Russia began in Istanbul. Images from the meeting were stark: A row of Russian delegates in dark suits, and opposite them Ukrainians wearing green camouflage combat fatigues.
“There are two paths today: One leads to peace, and the other will cause more destruction and loss of life. Both sides will choose which path to take,” Fidan told the negotiating teams.
“Hosting both sides shows our strong will to end the war,” he said. “We have an opportunity to end the war … in order to take the path of peace we need to take advantage of this opportunity. Every day causes more lives to be lost. While this war is claiming lives, it is critically important that a ceasefire happens as soon as possible.”
The meeting in Istanbul should “prepare for a meeting between the leaders,” he added, in a nod towards Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision not to attend the talks. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said previously that he would be willing to meet with Putin, believing that only a meeting with the Russian president can truly secure an end to the fighting.
Even so, Zelenskyy’s chief aide Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram that Ukraine aims to secure an “unconditional ceasefire” during talks today.
Ukraine aims to secure an “unconditional ceasefire,” at talks with Russian officials in Turkey, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top aide said. “The Ukrainian delegation is in Istanbul today to achieve an unconditional ceasefire - this is our priority,” he wrote on Telegram.
Updated
Here is a reminder of the diplomats leading the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. Vladimir Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading for Russia, while Ukraine’s defence minister Rustem Umerov will lead for Ukraine.
Here is a picture from earlier in the day, showing members of the Ukrainian, Turkish and US delegations together at Dolmabahçe palace.
Russia and Ukraine meet in first direct peace talks since 2022
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have met in Istanbul for the first direct talks between the two nations since 2022, when a peace process was aborted just a few weeks after Russia staged its February 2022 full-scale invasion of the country.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, is quoted by Reuters as opening the meeting by saying he was happy to see that the will of the two sides had opened up a new window of opportunity for peace.
He said it was critical for a ceasefire to be agreed as soon as possible, and for the foundations to be made for a meeting of the two nation’s leaders.
More details soon …
Reuters has been informed the Russia-Ukraine meeting will start shortly. That is about an hour later than had been expected.
Russian media is reporting that Vladimir Medinsky has arrived at the Dolmabahçe palace for talks with the Ukrainian delegation. RIA reports a diplomatic source has told it that the head of Turkish intelligence İbrahim Kalın will join the talks.
Separately, Reuters is reporting that US secretary of state Marco Rubio is meeting with security advisers from the UK, France and Germany.
Tass reports that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had this to say about the prospect of a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
During his daily briefing, the Russian president’s spokesperson said a meeting between the pair was certainly necessary, but must be preceded by careful preparation.
He added that contacts between Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement, and that any meeting between the two should involve a serious discussion of international affairs and regional issues, including Ukraine.
Ukraine accuses Russia of undermining peace talks with new demands
Peter Beaumont is in Kyiv for the Guardian
Ukraine has accused Russia of undermining peace talks in Istanbul by making new demands to exclude Turkey and the US from discussions at the last minute.
As if to confirm the very low expectations of the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, the Latvia based Russian language news site, Meduza, is saying that it has seen a memo to Russian state controlled media reporting the meetings to talk down prospects of a breakthrough.
Instead the memo suggested the talks will end deadlocked with Russia facing the prospect of renewed European sanctions which – journalist should emphasise – “will not harm the country’s development” suggesting that it sees the talks as inevitably failing.
According to the report, which does not mention what Russia’s position at the talks is likely to entail, the memo instructs journalists to say that Ukraine’s position at the talks is worse than at the last direct talks in Istanbul in 2022.
More broadly, however, the presence of Russian’s president Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky leading the Moscow delegation is seen as part of an effort to insist that the talks represent a continuation of the 2022 talks where the Kremlin insisted on Ukraine’s effective surrender.
Medinsky told journalists on 15 May that Russia considers the talks as a “continuation” of echoing Putin’s demand that any negotiations would be based on the April 2022 Istanbul protocols.
Versions of those draft agreements acquired by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times last year saw Moscow demanding Ukraine give up aspirations for Nato membership, adopt a position of neutrality in its constitution, and prohibit Ukraine from hosting foreign military personnel or weapons systems.
The claimed disclosure of Moscow’s news management strategy for domestic consumption comes amid reports that Russia was demanding that direct talks with Ukraine take place without US and Turkish representatives. A Ukrainian diplomatic source said the move showed Moscow was “undermining the peace effort”.
“Yet another sign of the Russian side undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while Russians are putting forward demands, conditions. This makes us doubt whether Putin sent them to solve issues or just stall the process,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
“There is only one reason for the Russians to be afraid of having the US in the room – they came to stall the process, not solve issues, and they want to hide this from the US.”
Expectations for the talks – initially proposed by Putin – sank after the Russian leader declined Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to meet at the presidential level in Turkey. The presence of Donald Trump was also suggested, but the US president is returning to the US after his trip to the Middle East.
In Moscow, Dmitry Peskov has been giving the daily Kremlin press briefing. We will bring you any key lines that emerge.
This, via Reuters, is from a source in the Ukraine delegation, who accused Russia of “undermining the peace effort” by demanding changes to the format of this morning’s expected meeting.
Russia appears to have attempted to sideline the US and Turkish delegations and insist upon the meeting only featuring Russia and the country it invaded in 2022.
“Yet another sign of the Russian side undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while Russians are putting forward demands, conditions. This makes us doubt whether Putin sent them to solve issues or just stall the process,” the source told the news agency on condition of anonymity.
“There is only one reason for the Russians to be afraid of having the US in the room – they came to stall the process, not solve issues, and they want to hide this from the US.”
While we wait to see whether and in what format talks will take place in Turkey, Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its forces have taken control of the settlement of Vilne Pole in the east of Ukraine.
There appears to be a hold up in Istanbul. A diplomatic source from Ukraine has told Reuters that the Russian delegation was asking that talks take place directly without US or Turkish delegations being present.
More details soon …
Reuters has spoken to a source from the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul, who said there was a need for “confidence-building measures”.
“We understand that for any diplomacy to be resultative, there needs to be a ceasefire. Real, durable and well monitored,” Reuters reports the source said.
“There also needs to be humanitarian confidence-building measures, such as the return of Ukrainian children, detained civilians, exchange of prisoners of war on the all-for-all basis.”
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that the Ukraine delegation is shortly set to meet with Russia’s delegation in Istanbul.
Here is another handout photo from today’s round of diplomacy, showing Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan with Ukraine’s president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
Ruth Michaelson is in Istanbul for the Guardian
The meeting between the Ukrainian, Turkish and American delegations has kicked off at the Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul.
Heading the Turkish side are foreign minister and Ankara’s longtime negotiator Hakan Fidan, who president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once referred to as the state’s “secret keeper.” He is flanked by intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, a charismatic fluent English speaker who was previously Erdoğan’s longtime adviser.
The Ukrainian team is composed of defence minister Rustem Umerov, foreign minister Andriy Sybiha who has also been in Antalya in recent days for meetings with his counterparts in Nato, as well as Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.
The American delegation includes secretary of state Marco Rubio, recently arrived ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, and US envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg, who recently warned that Washington and Europe could impose far tougher sanctions on Russia if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire.
The Turkish foreign ministry has also just shared a collection of photos showing the various high level officials gathering outside in the rather gloomy Istanbul weather after the talks, including one of Rubio, Umerov, Fidan, Kalın and Yermek all smiling as they mill around in the courtyard outside Dolmabahçe. Indications from these images suggest the meeting was positive, but details remain thin on the ground.
Nato's Rutte: Putin has made a mistake by sending low-level delegation to Turkey
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said that it is a good thing that the Ukrainians have come to the negotiating table and added that Russian President Vladimir now has to play ball, Reuters reports.
“All the pressure is on him,” Rutte said, speaking at a meeting of EU leaders in Albania. He added that Putin had made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation to talks in Turkey.
Reuters reports that sources have told it the first meeting this morning, between Turkey, the US and Ukraine, has started in Istanbul. The Turkish foreign ministry has issued this handout photo.
Here is a view of vehicles arriving at Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul ahead of today’s talks.
Low expectations as Ukrainian and Russian delegations set to meet in Istanbul
Ruth Michaelson is in Istanbul for the Guardian
Two sessions of talks are due today here in Istanbul, but expectations remain low. US secretary of state Marco Rubio has landed and is expected at the Dolmabahçe palace for talks with Ukrainian and Turkish officials.
Around an hour later, just after midday local time, the Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams will meet alongside Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan.
The composition of these meetings, particularly the second one involving Russian officials, is likely to underscore Ukrainian complaints that Russian president Vladimir Putin dispatched lower-level officials to Turkey for negotiations.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian delegation “decorative,” yesterday, adding that the collection of deputy ministers led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky doesn’t include “anyone who actually makes decisions.” By contrast, the Ukrainian team will be led by defence minister and experienced negotiator Rustem Umerov.
Medinsky hit back at this in an extremely brief and hastily arranged press conference outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, telling reporters in hushed tones that his team “has the power to make decisions.”
The Russian side views the talks as “a continuation,” of failed talks in 2022, he added.
The Russian team also held late-night talks with Fidan at the Dolmabahçe palace last night, which Medinsky described on Telegram as “productive.” The meeting appeared to last just over an hour, based on statements put out by the Turkish state news agency.
Umerov’s team will be looking “to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war – namely, a ceasefire”, according to Zelenskyy’s comments yesterday in Ankara.
Washington also appears to have low expectations that today’s talks will produce a substantive outcome. Rubio told reporters yesterday during his meetings in the southern Turkish city of Antalya that there is little optimism about the potential outcome of these meetings.
“I want to be frank … we don’t have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow,” he said.
US president Donald Trump echoed the same sentiment as he landed in Dubai on the final stop of his tour of the Middle East, adding that little was likely to be achieved unless he could meet with Putin directly.
“Nothing’s going to happen until Russian President Vladimir Putin and I get together, OK?” he said. “I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there.”
Reuters has a quick snap that speaking in Abu Dhabi, US president Donald Trump has said he is returning to the US.
Yesterday he had said he might head to Turkey to take part in Ukraine-Russia talks if it would be helpful, suggesting that nothing would happen to develop a peace plan until he and Russian president Vladimir Putin met in person.
Reuters is reporting that several vehicles have arrived at Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul, where we are anticipating trilateral talks between Turkey, Ukraine and the US and then between Turkey, Russia and Ukraine.
An air alert has sounded in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine claims to have shot down 73 out of 112 Russian drones deployed overnight
Ukraine has claimed that overnight Russia deployed 112 drones in attacks Ukraine, of which air defences shot down 73.
Earlier this morning Ukraine’s air force reported that it had lost an F-16 fighter in a non-combat situation.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, is reporting that a meeting in Istanbul between senior officials from Ukraine with representatives of the US, UK, France and Germany has just ended.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has arrived at Istanbul’s airport.
Here are a couple of images from Istanbul, where talks are due to take place this morning which will include delegations from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the US.
Director of policy planning Michael Anton is reported to be representing the US at this morning’s talks in Istanbul. Two sessions are planned, one featuring Turkey, the US and Ukraine, and a second which will see Turkey, Russia and Ukraine delegations together.
More details soon …
Ukraine’s air force has reported that it lost a F-16 fighter jet on Friday morning. The pilot was reported to have ejected safely.
“According to preliminary data … an unusual situation arose on board. The pilot moved the aircraft away from the settlement and successfully ejected,” Reuters reports the air force said on the Telegram messaging service.
Ukraine and Russia expected to have direct talks in Istanbul on Friday morning
Turkey will take part in two trilateral meetings on Friday in Istanbul as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Turkish foreign ministry sources have told Reuters, which will include direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.
The news agency reports that a meeting between Turkish, US and Ukrainian officials is scheduled to take place at 7.45 GMT, followed by talks between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian delegations at 9.30 GMT.
Ukraine’s delegation will be headed up by the country’s defence minister, while Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the Russian party.
Welcome and opening summary
Hello, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the war in Ukraine, as diplomatic efforts continue in Turkey.
Turkish foreign ministry sources said Turkey will take part in two trilateral meetings on Friday in Istanbul.
A meeting between Turkish, US and Ukrainian officials is set for 7.45 GMT, followed by talks between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian delegations at 9.30 GMT, the sources said.
Vladimir Putin opted not to travel to Istanbul, instead sending a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his defence minister would head up Kyiv’s team.
Yesterday hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by US President Donald Trump, who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio later echoed that view, telling reporters in the Turkish resort of Antalya that Washington “didn’t have high expectations” for the Ukraine talks in Istanbul.
Zelenskyy said Putin’s decision not to attend but to send what he called a “decorative” lineup showed the Russian leader was not serious about ending the war.
Russia accused Ukraine of trying “to put on a show” around the talks.
“We can’t be running around the world looking for Putin,” Zelenskiy said after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.
Meanwhile British prime minister Keir Starmer said Putin “must pay the price for avoiding peace” ahead of a European Political Community meeting in Albania on Friday.
We will be following today’s developments. Stick with us.
