Istanbul, Türkiye - Russia and Ukraine will hold their first direct peace talks in three years on Friday, gathering in Istanbul for negotiations with Turkish brokers, but officials and observers expect them to make little immediate progress in the cessation of war for more than three years.

The Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will meet with a low-level Russian team led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy's proposal to face to face, the latest effort to end the battle started a tough start on Thursday. Delegations from both countries also flew to different Turkish cities and formed teams with significant diplomatic differences to conduct possible negotiations.

Despite low expectations for a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting, the apparent lack of appeal in peace efforts has frustrated Türkiye's hopes of bold measures to reach reconciliation.

The two sides are far apart under the conditions of ending the war, and U.S. President Donald Trump said on a trip to the Middle East on Thursday that the meeting between himself and Putin is crucial to breaking the deadlock.

On Friday, Trump said the meeting with Putin would “once we can build it.”

"I think it's time for us to do that," Trump told Abu Dhabi reporters.

Ukraine has accepted a full, 30-day ceasefire proposal from the United States and Europe, but Putin effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions.

Meanwhile, Russian troops are preparing for a new military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts said.

After Putin failed to take on the challenge of Zelenskyy sitting with him in the Turkish capital on Thursday, the Ukrainian president accused Moscow of not making serious efforts to end the war by sending a low-level negotiating team that he described as "theater props."

Even so, Zelenskyy said he is sending a team led by the defense minister to a meeting in Istanbul on Friday. This will show that Trump shows that despite Russia's footsteps, Ukraine is determined to work on its peaceful efforts.

The Kremlin said the Russian delegation also included three other senior officials. Putin also appointed four low-level officials as "experts" in the negotiations.

Before the talks, a series of diplomatic activities occurred in Istanbul.

Senior Ukrainian officials held a morning meeting with national security advisers in the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions.

The official said the U.S. team was led by Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who retired Trump's special for Trump to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, represented Ukraine.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said a three-way meeting between Türkiye, the United States and Ukraine was also held. The United States includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kellogg.

Rubio said on Thursday that he did not foresee major developments in Istanbul.

"We don't have high expectations for what will happen tomorrow. Frankly, at this point, I think it's obvious that the only way we can make a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin," Rubio told reporters in Antalya, Turkey on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy flew to Albania to attend a meeting of 47 European leaders to discuss security, defense and democratic standards in the context of war.

___

Amer Madhani of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

___

Follow the AP's report on the war in Ukraine