The highly anticipated peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul have ended abruptly after less than two hours, with no sign of progress. Ukrainian sources described Russia’s demands—reportedly including a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from their own territory-as “unrealistic” and “detached from reality.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations concluded their talks in Istanbul on May 16 after speaking for less than two hours, Sky News reported, citing an unnamed source from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

By bne IntelliNews Russian president Vladimir Putin was a no-show at direct talks he proposed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and sent a low-level delegation instead that didn't include a single minister,