Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss cooperation within the coalition of the willing and the progress of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he is sending a team headed by his defense minister to Istanbul for the first direct peace talks with a Russian delegation since the early weeks of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The first high-level talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early months of Moscow's 2022 invasion showed they are far from agreement on steps needed for a ceasefire, even though they promised a major swap of prisoners of war.