But in order to agree to end its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia wants total control over Ukraine's eastern counties of Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as continued control over the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014. These are demands that Ukraine can hardly accept.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he wants to see peace as soon as possible, but not in exchange for Russia taking over large parts of Ukrainian territory.
And then we are back on square one again.
Russia realizes the mistake
The Kremlin and President Putin seem to have realized that their plan to seize Kyiv, establish a puppet regime and take control of the whole of Ukraine through a blitzkrieg has failed.
But Russia's defense minister says the "military operation" that Russia calls the war will continue until targets are met.
Russia's negotiators in Istanbul also emphasize that "reduced military activity" does not mean ceasefire.
Whether the reduced military activity near Kyiv means that Russia is looking for a fig leaf to hide and then explain to the home crowd an unsuccessful war, or whether it is just a military recovery before an even more extensive attack on Kyiv, it remains to be seen.
Believe what you see, not what is said
But to trust what the Kremlin says or promises would be really naive.
At least since the last invasion in 2014, Russia has consistently lied about what it is doing in and around Ukraine.
It is what the Russian military is doing that matters.
And so far, it continues to try to bomb Ukraine into submission.