Germany, France, the U.K. and Poland outmaneuvered the Kremlin by persuading Ukraine’s Zelensky to accept Trump’s cease-fire demand. Russia’s leader balked.

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.

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet for peace talks in Turkey on Friday. But, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, nor US President Donald Trump, will be there following days of confusion.