Germany, France, the U.K. and Poland outmaneuvered the Kremlin by persuading Ukraine’s Zelensky to accept Trump’s cease-fire demand. Russia’s leader balked.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war .

Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky, also an advisor to President Vladimir Putin, said on Friday that Moscow was satisfied with the results of the peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, Medinsky said that as a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners.