RUSSIA said that it was satisfied with the first round of talks with Ukraine, which took place today in Istanbul.

These were the first direct peace talks between the two warring sides since the early weeks of Moscow’s 2022 invasion.

But the Ukrainians, along with European leaders, said that the position put forward by Russia at the talks was unacceptable to them.

The leader of the Russian delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, said that his side was “ready to continue contacts” with Ukraine.

He said both sides have agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap which will take place “in the coming days.”

Mr Medinsky said that the Russians had “noted” the request from the Ukrainian side for direct talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky. 

The presidential aid to Mr Putin also told reporters that each side has agreed to “present its vision of a possible future ceasefire.”

But European leaders took a more belligerent tone to today’s talks.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer claimed that the Europeans have agreed with United States President Donald Trump that Russia’s position in the talks is unacceptable and they intend to co-ordinate a response.

“We just had a meeting with President Zelensky and then a phone call with President Trump to discuss the developments in the negotiations today, and the Russian position is clearly unacceptable,” Mr Starmer told reporters.

“As a result of that meeting with President Zelensky, under discussion with President Trump, we are now closely aligning and co-ordinating our responses and will continue to do so,” he said, as European leaders held a summit in Albania.

He said that the decision with Mr Trump was also agreed on with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland.

Earlier in the day, Kiev had accused the Kremlin of introducing new “unacceptable demands” to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge swaths of territory, according to an official source.

The demands had not been previously discussed, the source said.

Mr Trump, who has pressed both Moscow and Kiev for an end to the conflict, said a meeting between himself and Mr Putin would happen “as soon as we can set it up.”

“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Mr Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.

Commenting on a possible Trump-Putin meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit is building. He told reporters that top-level talks were “certainly needed,” but added that preparing a summit would take time.