Russian and Ukrainian delegates have begun their third set of direct talks in Istanbul, days after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to make peace or face “very severe tariffs.”

Russia and Ukraine are to hold a third round of negotiations in Istanbul, with expectations low for progress on a peace agreement to end the full-scale war that’s in its fourth year.A Russian delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky left Moscow on Wednesday for the talks in Turkey with a Ukrainian team led by Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.

The latest talks could be an early litmus test on how seriously Moscow perceives President Trump's threats to impose sanctions — and how Russia might respond.