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.

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.

President Donald Trump has taken an intense personal interest in ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, recently suggesting that “nothing” will happen until he has an official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.