Germany, France, the U.K. and Poland outmaneuvered the Kremlin by persuading Ukraine’s Zelensky to accept Trump’s cease-fire demand. Russia’s leader balked.

Some of Russia's demands include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from their own territory as a condition for a ceasefire, an unnamed Ukrainian source told Sky News.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war .