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.”

Moscow's lead negotiator on Wednesday in Istanbul said the Ukrainian and Russian positions on ending the war were still far apart, more than three years into Russia's invasion. The two sides held their third round of peace talks after two earlier meetings in May and June that failed to reach a breakthrough.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that cooperation with China has allowed Russia to bypass Western sanctions on imports of electronics for drone production. Ukraine’s military intelligence estimates that Russia receives up to 65% of components for its Geran drones from China. Beijing rejects the claims.