France, May 16 -- The first direct talks on halting Russia's war on Ukraine in more than three years started Friday in Istanbul, with expectations low that the two sides would agree to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

Kyiv is seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" in the fighting that has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow says it wants to address the "root causes" of the conflict and revive failed 2022 negotiations in which it made sweeping territorial and political demands of Ukraine.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a ceasefire as he opened the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations around 1:35pm in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Pa...