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

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.

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.