President Donald Trump says he may call Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, after Putin skipped peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years lasted well under two hours, with no apparent sign of progress so far in narrowing the gap between the sides, and a Ukrainian source called Moscow's demands "non-starters".

Russia-Ukraine peace talks finally got underway a day late in Instanbul with little to no expectations after U.S. President Donald Trump said a face-to-face meeting with Putin was the only way forward.