Russia and the U.S. both see draft accords discussed by Moscow and Kyiv in the early weeks of the war as a possible basis for a Ukraine peace deal, the Kremlin said on Friday, though Ukraine's president has previously rejected them as unacceptable.

The Istanbul talks can't serve as the basis for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said on March 6. "The Istanbul accords happened 30 days after the invasion,

Russia’s Foreign Ministry says it has suggested restoring direct air links between Russia and the United States during the latest round of consultations with Washington.

Rapprochement between the U.S. and Russia – following a diplomat-level meeting in Istanbul last week – gathered pace Thursday with the appointment of

Turkish Airlines and Emirates are among the carriers that have continued operating flights to Russia since the Ukraine invasion three years ago.

The president framed his threat as part of his effort to forge a cease-fire and permanent peace deal in Ukraine. He later defended Russia’s overnight attacks on Ukraine.

Witkoff, Trump’s top negotiator, said the U.S. would be looking to talks from early in the war as a basis for a deal. Ukraine’s supporters saw it as an embrace of a Kremlin talking point.

Russian and U.S. teams held six hours of talks in Turkey on Thursday to try to restore normal functioning of their embassies, and Vladimir Putin said initial contacts with Donald Trump's new administration had inspired hope.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Wednesday that a meeting between Russian and US representatives to discuss embassy operations will take place on Thursday in Istanbul.

Putin has often said the 2022 peace negotiations in Istanbul could serve as a framework for peace talks with Ukraine.

We hope that today's meeting, the first in a series of expert consultations, will bring us and the American side closer to overcoming differences and strengthening trust,' says Russian Foreign Ministr