In a recent peace talk held in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a significant prisoner exchange, but disagreements over ceasefire terms and a potential presidential meeting continue to hinder progress towards ending the conflict.
The third round of negotiations took place on Wednesday evening at the historic Ciragan Palace, with delegations led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chaired the closed-door talks, which lasted less than an hour.
Following the meeting, Umerov emphasized Ukraine’s demand for a full and unconditional ceasefire as a foundation for effective diplomacy. “We are ready for a ceasefire now and to start substantive peace negotiations; it is up to the other side to accept this basic step towards peace,” he stated. Umerov insisted that the ceasefire must be genuine, including a complete halt to strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure.
On the other hand, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the stark differences between Moscow and Kyiv’s positions on ending the conflict, noting that “much work remains to be done.”
The Ukrainian delegation proposed a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the end of August, suggesting that the participation of U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be especially valuable.
Medinsky announced that both sides agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war each. Additionally, Russia proposed swapping approximately 30 civilians held by Ukraine in the Kursk region. He also requested the return of deceased Russian soldiers and mentioned that Russia has returned the bodies of 7,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers, with readiness to return 3,000 more.
Medinsky suggested establishing three online working groups to address political, humanitarian, and military issues. He also proposed short ceasefires of 24 to 48 hours along the contact line to evacuate wounded soldiers and recover the bodies of the fallen. However, he noted that a presidential meeting is not being considered until certain processes are completed.
Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy shared on social media platform X that the ninth stage of the prisoner exchange took place, involving more than 1,000 Ukrainian personnel, including those seriously ill and severely wounded. “It is important that the exchanges are ongoing,” he wrote.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan urged both delegations to engage in result-oriented negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire and ultimately ending the war. “Our goal is to end this bloody war, which has come at a heavy cost, as soon as possible,” he said in his opening remarks.
While previous talks in Istanbul led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners and the return of fallen soldiers, little progress has been made toward establishing a lasting ceasefire.
