BURSTOfficials from Ukraine and Russia met Friday in Turkey for the first direct peace talks since Russia's invasion in February 2022 sparked the more than three-year-long war.
The talks lasted roughly two hours, according to Turkey's Foreign Ministry.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had traveled to Turkey for the talks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin did not make the trip, sending an adviser instead.
The Associated Press reported that Ukraine accused the Russians of putting forward "unacceptable demands" to withdraw Ukrainian forces from large swaths of territory, citing a senior Ukrainian official.
President Trump had teased the possibility for days that he may make the trip to Turkey if he thought the discussions could produce significant progress. Ultimately, he dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
Trump indicated he was not surprised Putin skipped the meetings, arguing that the Russian president had no reason to go if he was not there.
“They all said Putin was going and Zelensky was going. And I said, ‘If I don’t go, I guarantee Putin is not going,’ and he didn’t go,” Trump told reporters earlier Friday.
“And I understand that, but we’re going to get it, we’re going to get it done," he said. "We’ve got to get it done.”
Vice President Vance said in remarks in Washington last week that having officials from Ukraine and Russia speak directly was a key step the Trump administration was hoping to see in its efforts to end the war.
Rubio signaled Thursday that the "only way" to move closer toward peace in the region would be a meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders. Trump said he is willing to meet directly with Putin as soon as a time could be set up.
The Trump administration has in recent weeks aired frustrations with both sides of the war after consensus on a 30-day ceasefire proposal was not reached. The secretary of state and vice president have threatened to walk away from peace talks if a deal isn't reached soon.