After five days of confusion over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine, the day they were supposed to begin initially brought only more of the same: a seven-hour stakeout on the banks of the Bosphorus,

Officials from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet today for the first time in over three years after peace talks on Thursday fell through. Delegations from the warring nations had been expected to meet in Istanbul, but as the day wore on without any concrete indications of timings, it remained unclear when the sides would meet.

The talks took place in the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries across Europe.