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,

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called for a moratorium on “striking civilian infrastructure,” while Moscow said such a proposal could be tackled through bilateral negotiations.

But the two sides failed to broker a temporary cease-fire or a meeting between their two leaders, a sign of how far apart they remain on ending the conflict.