Before the talks even began, President Donald Trump predicted there would be no progress unless he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were involved.

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

Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each during peace talks held in Istanbul on Friday, in what would be the biggest prisoner swap of the conflict. The negotiations, which lasted less than two hours and were mediated by Turkey, marked the first time the nations have engaged in direct peace talks since the war began.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that Kyiv and its partners were considering arranging a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end Moscow's war in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expected Russia to present a Ukraine ceasefire outline within days that will show if it is serious, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of buying time.

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (May 20) accused Russia of not seriously engaging in peace talks and of wanting to continue its three-year invasion, despite a US push for a ceasefire.

But US secretary of state also says President Trump believes threatening Russia with sanctions may cause them to stop talking - Anadolu Ajansı

In a reversal, President Trump appears to have backed off joining a European push for new sanctions on Russia, seemingly eager to move on to doing business deals with it.