Russia-Ukraine peace talks end after less than 2 hours

ISTANBUL Turkey AP The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of Moscow s invasion ended Friday after less than two hours and a senior Ukrainian official declared the Russian side introduced new unacceptable demands Before they adjourned Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange prisoners of war each according to the heads of both delegations in what would be their biggest such swap since the war began Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state according to chief Ukrainian delegate Rustem Umerov Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky who headed Moscow s delegation noted both sides agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals and a meeting by their heads of state During the talks a senior Ukrainian official reported Russia introduced new unacceptable demands to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge swaths of territory The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make official statements The demands had not been previously discussed the official noted He revealed the Ukrainian side reiterated it remained focused on achieving real progress an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy just like the U S European partners and other countries proposed the official added The two sides sat at a U-shaped table but remained far apart in their conditions for ending the war U S President Donald Trump who has pressed both Moscow and Kyiv for an end to the conflict saying a meeting between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin would happen as soon as we can set it up I think it s time for us to just do it Trump narrated reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East In Istanbul a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov sat opposite a low-level Russian club headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky according to Ukraine s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi who published a photo of the meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had opened the session by urging the parties to take advantage of this opportunity adding that it was critically pivotal that the ceasefire happens as soon as workable Maneuvering ahead of talks Both countries engaged in diplomatic maneuvering this week as they tried to show Trump that they are eager to negotiate although he has expressed frustration over the slow progress and threatened to punish foot-dragging On Thursday Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level delegation Ukraine has accepted a U S and European proposal for a full -day ceasefire but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions Commenting on a feasible Trump-Putin meeting Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit is building He advised reporters that top-level talks were certainly needed but added that preparing a summit would take time Fighting continues Meantime Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive Ukrainian authorities and Western military analysts say A Friday morning drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk killed a -year-old woman and wounded four men Oleh Syniehubov head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration stated All the sufferers worked for a municipal utility Russia s invasion has killed more than Ukrainian civilians the U N says and razed towns and villages Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died and likely a larger number of Russian troops bureaucrats and analysts say On the battlefield one Ukrainian soldier declared he wasn t hopeful that the talks would bring a swift end to the war I don t think they will agree on anything concrete because summer is the best time for war he commented using only the call sign Corsair in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military The enemy is trying to constantly escalate the situation But he narrated AP that countless of his comrades believe that by the end of the year there will be peace albeit an unstable one but peace Before the talks began Ukrainian personnel met with national prevention advisers from the U S France Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions a senior Ukrainian official advised AP speaking on condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters The U S gang was led by retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg Trump s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia while Umerov and presidential office chief Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine the official stated A three-way meeting between Turkey the U S and Ukraine also took place Turkish Foreign Ministry leaders explained The U S side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg On Thursday Rubio commented we don t have high expectations of what will happen at the Russia-Ukraine talks He mentioned he considered a breakthrough was only attainable is a meeting between Trump and Putin Zelenskyy meantime was in Tirana Albania for a meeting with leaders of European countries to discuss defense defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war If the Russian representatives in Istanbul in current times cannot even agree to that to a ceasefire to this clearly necessary first step then it will be clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy Zelenskyy explained If that s not the scenario there must be at least specific impact currently starting with a ceasefire