Russia and Ukraine’s first direct talks in three years began Friday with hopes as dim as the gray Istanbul skies.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations, but officials and observers expected them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than three-year war.

The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of the war lasted just two hours in Istanbul on Friday and only agreed on a prisoner swap — a sign the two sides remain very far apart over ending the conflict.