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After several days of debate, negotiations to end the war in Ukraine began in the Turkish metropolis at noon and lasted a little over an hour and a half.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that the talks were expected to resume after a break. However, a representative of the Ukrainian delegation told AFP news agency that no further negotiations were planned for Friday. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the meeting and called for a quick ceasefire.
According to information from his Ministry, he also participated in the subsequent discussions. The Russian delegation was led by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky, while the Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin suggested direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul on Sunday in response to a European proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky then traveled to Turkey, but did not personally participate in the talks because Putin had sent only a lower-level delegation.
How the situation in Turkey will continue remains unclear at the moment.
A Ukrainian government official told AFP on Friday that Moscow was demanding that Kiev cede territory under Ukrainian control as a condition for a ceasefire. Ukraine accused Russia of making "unacceptable demands" at the Istanbul talks aimed at derailing the negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a "strong response" against Russia if talks in Istanbul on a ceasefire in Ukraine fail.
"If it turns out that the Russian delegation is simply pretending to be holding negotiations, which cannot yield results today, the world must react," Zelensky said at the European Political Community summit on Friday in Tirana, Albania.
In the event of failure of the talks, the Ukrainian president called for sanctions against Russian energy companies and banks.
"The pressure must be increased until real progress is achieved," Zelensky said. He called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to give the Russian delegation in Istanbul a "real" negotiating mandate.
Putin has only sent "empty heads" to the negotiating table, Zelensky said, adding "this destroys the meaning of diplomacy."
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