With Azerbaijan defying Russia, the Caucasus region has the opportunity to clinch a historic peace deal and move closer to the United States.

The warring sides remain far apart after the third round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations on Wednesday. But there was progress on humanitarian issues.

Ukrainian and Russian officials ended their third round of peace negotiations Wednesday in under an hour in Istanbul — falling short of establishing a cease-fire but agreeing to a prison swap.

Russia is open to peace with Ukraine but achieving “our goals” remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday, days after U.S. President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day ...