The delegations are in place but negotiatons have been pushed out to after lunch, according to Moscow

The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years are scheduled to take place in Türkiye's largest city, Istanbul, on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered on Sunday to resume direct dialogue between Moscow and Kiev to find a lasting settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict.

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, who had previously ruled out any talks with Moscow, only agreed to attend following US President Donald Trump's announcement of his support for talks, his claim that Kiev should accept it "immediately," and that he is also ready to travel to Istanbul.

While Zelensky has insisted he would only speak with Putin directly, the Russian president has so far given no indication that he is planning to travel to Türkiye.

Moscow and Ukraine last held direct talks in April 2022, also in Istanbul. Following reports that an agreement had been reached, Kiev unilaterally withdrew from the talks. President Putin later blamed Western interference and, in particular, then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had reportedly urged Kiev to "just continue fighting," for derailing the peace process.

Russia, which had withdrawn its forces from the outskirts of Kiev as a goodwill gesture, later accused Ukraine of backtracking, saying it had lost trust in Ukraine's negotiators.

(RT.com)