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.

Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday. They are expected to gather in Istanbul for Turkish-brokered negotiations but officials and observers expect them to yield little immediate progress on stopping the more than 3-year war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for skipping peace talks in Turkey, calling the move “unserious” and “disrespectful.” Instead of attending himself, Putin sent aide Vladimir Medinsky,