Pakistan, May 16 -- Istanbul, May 16, 2025 - Ukrainian and Russian officials have begun direct ceasefire talks in Istanbul, marking the first such engagement since 2022. The negotiations aim to find common ground for halting the ongoing war, but both sides have expressed skepticism about the other's intentions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that Ukraine's top priority is an "unconditional ceasefire." Speaking earlier at a European leadership summit in Tirana, Albania, Zelensky warned that if Russia refuses to agree, it would prove that "Putin does not want peace."

The talks began despite tensions rising over Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send a lower-level delegation instead of participating person...