Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined the leaders of dozens of European countries and organizations for a one-day summit in Albania's capital Friday to discuss security and defense challenges across the continent, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the top of the agenda.

On the eve of the summit in Tirana, Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Zelensky to meet face-to-face in Turkey to try to secure a ceasefire with Moscow, sending a low-level delegation instead.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has an American proposal over its rapidly advancing nuclear program as negotiations between the two countries go on.

Trump's remarks represent the first time he's acknowledged an American proposal is with Tehran after multiple rounds of negotiations between U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran held talks with European powers on Friday about its nuclear negotiations with Washington, while U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new threat unless the Iranians "move quickly" towards a deal.

The meeting in Istanbul followed remarks by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warning of "irreversible" consequences if Britain, France and Germany move to reimpose United Nations sanctions that were lifted under a landmark 2015 agreement.

The first talks between Ukraine and Russia since the first weeks following Moscow's 2022 invasion started in Istanbul on Friday, according to televised footage.

Ukraine's delegation sat at a table facing Russia's delegation, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the negotiations, footage showed.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed Europe would "increase the pressure" until Russia's Vladimir Putin is ready for peace, as the first talks in three years between Moscow and Kyiv got underway in Turkey.

"We will increase the pressure," von der Leyen told reporters at a gathering of European leaders in Tirana, saying work was underway on a new package of sanctions. "We want peace and we have to increase the pressure until President Putin is ready for it," she said.

President Donald Trump said Friday he's moving to set up direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as he can.

Trump's push for a face-to-face meeting comes after Putin opted to skip talks between Russia and Ukraine set for Friday in Turkey.

Russia and Ukraine are due to hold their first direct peace talks in three years Friday, gathering 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.

A Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was due to meet with a low-level Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Russia and Ukraine traded insults on Thursday as negotiators were due to meet in Turkey for the first direct peace talks in more than three years.

Turkey's top diplomat said Thursday said there was cause for hope ahead of Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian mediators in what would be their first direct talks in over three years.

Ukraine appeared to cast doubt on whether peace talks with Russia in Turkey would take place on Thursday, with a senior official saying Kyiv's delegation was waiting for an instruction from President Volodymyr Zelensky.