Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in Istanbul on Friday for what was billed as their first direct peace talks in more than three years.

Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations.

ISTANBUL—Russian and Ukrainian delegations kicked off their first direct peace talks in three years amid a flurry of diplomatic activity marked by limited expectations and frustration in Kyiv and Western capitals with the junior level of the team dispatched by the Kremlin.