The first high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early months of Moscow's 2022 invasion showed they are far from agreement on steps needed for a ceasefire, even though they promised a major swap of prisoners of war.

The Russian delegation, led by an aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Medinsky, at talks with Ukraine in Istanbul had papers from previous talks in 2022 and threatened to increase the number of attachments fivefold, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.

After dangling the possibility of his attendance, Trump said he would stay away but still wants to meet with Putin, further weakening the Istanbul talks.