June 2 (UPI) -- A second round of Ukraine -Russia peace negotiations got underway in Turkey on Monday in an effort to find a way forward in ending more than three years of war triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion of its western neighbor.

The delegations -- minus Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- gathered in Istanbul a little more than two weeks after an initial round produced little progress, despite pressure from the United States to deliver a deal or a cease-fire at the minimum.

Opening the negotiations at the Ciragan Palace, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he hoped they would be "fruitful" and that there would be "concrete" development s that would benefit both countries.

Ahead of the talks, the Trump administration

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