It was the first face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian and Russian government officials since 2022 – and it lasted barely two hours.
There were hopes that the encounter in Istanbul, Turkey, might mark a turning point in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
But in reality, the talks proved to be more mirage than breakthrough – what the world has witnessed over the last few days was performative but it lacked real substance.
Ukraine war latest: World reacts to two-hour peace talks
What it did show, though, was that the gulf between the two sides remains as wide as ever.
And at the centre of all this is a question of international willpower – particularly that of the United States.
The future of any meaningful peace process may now rest on the extent to which Donald Trump is willing to stay engaged.
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That engagement could eventually lead to the ultimate diplomatic meeting between Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the American president.
But getting to that point will be slow, uncertain, and politically fraught.
Success over prisoner exchanges
There was, however, one concrete achievement: Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap, potentially involving thousands of captives.
It would be the largest such exchange since the war began and may serve as a building block for more substantive diplomacy.
Still, the level of participation at the talks told its own story.
Neither Putin – nor other senior Russian officials for that matter – attended, undermining Moscow’s claims of seriousness in the eyes of many people.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had openly dared Putin to meet face-to-face in a game of geopolitical poker.
It was a move designed to call Putin’s bluff after he called for the direct talks in the first place, and also underline Kyiv’s commitment to peace and maintaining vital US support.
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Ukraine accuses Russia of stalling the process with maximalist, unrealistic demands.
From Kyiv’s perspective, Moscow is playing for time, hoping the war’s momentum will eventually shift further in its favour strengthening its hand diplomatically.
And with recent battlefield gains, Putin appears in no rush to negotiate a ceasefire – which was the central aim of the Ukrainian delegation.
What does Putin want?
Ultimately, the Russian president seems to be angling for a grand diplomatic bargain – one that would include a meeting with Trump and result in the geopolitical restoration of Russian dominance over swathes of the post-Soviet space.
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The Istanbul talks were symbolically important – but they have also revealed a stark reality: the two sides remain worlds apart.
And neither appears ready to make the tough concessions necessary for peace.
Until that changes, any resolution to the Ukraine war will remain distant – a mirage on the horizon.
