Expectations are low for the discussions in Istanbul, the first direct peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv since early 2022.

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.

Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.