Russia and Ukraine agreed to an important exchange of prisoners after concluding their first direct peace conversations since the beginning of 2022 in Istanbul on Friday, the uncle is still uncle if the war in Ukraine was made to end the final ending final final final final end to final end.
The main negotiator of Ukraine, the Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, told journalists after the meeting of almost two hours at the Dolmabahçe Palace of the Palace of Istanbul that both parties had used 1,000 prisoners of war each in the near future, with an appointment.
Kremlin Vladimir Medinsky Assistant, who President Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to lead Moscows Delegation confirmed the agreement and said he was “satisfied” with the negotiations. He said that Moscow is ready to directly direct conversations with Ukrainian officials, adding that Kremlin would consider kyiv’s request for a Putin-Settenky meeting
Friday’s conversations followed a morning meeting between Turkish, American and Ukrainian officials. The Russia-Ukraine session began around 1:30 pm local time, inaugurated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who urged the delegates to accept a high fire as soon as possible.
The session was then closed to the press.
While the exchange of prisoners marked a tangible result of the negotiations, no progress seemed
A Ukrainian source told Reuters that Moscow’s demands during the conversations were “separated from reality” and exceeded everything that was previously discussed. Among them were ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from own territory in exchange for a fire, as well as other “non -corrective and non -constructive conditions,” said the source.
Zelensky, who with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday, refused to attend the conversations after Putin rejected his sacrifice for a face to face. Instead, Zensky sent Umerov to lead the delegation of Ukraine.
The Russian delegation was headed by former Minister of Culture Medinsky, who also led the failed peace conversations of 2022. At that time, Kyiv accused Moscow of demanding what he said was equivalent to the capitulation, including the recognition of territories occupied by Russian and drastically reducing the size of his military.
Zensky dismissed the Russian negotiation team as “decorative” on Thursday, arguing that they have no decision -making power. Medinsky responded with a letter statement to journalists, saying that he and his delegates “have the power to make decisions” and that Moscow sees Friday’s meeting as a continuation of the negotiations of 2022.
Zensky said that the Ukrainian delegation “would try to achieve at least the first steps towards decallation, the end of the war, that is, a high fire,” but added that Russia did not take the conversations seriously. The new suggested western sanctions could follow if there were no progress on Friday, saying: “We are waiting for a clear and strong reaction of the partners.”
Before the conversations, special envoy from the United States for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg with the head of the presidential office of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiha and Umerov. The officials of France, Germany and the United Kingdom also attended that meeting.
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, arrived in Istanbul on Friday and participated in the trilateral meeting with Turkish and Ukrainian officials. Although Russia-Ukraine conversations are not doing, the State Department said the Director for Planning Planning Michael Anton Woldrent, United States, in work level discussions with the Russian delegation.
Rubio told journalists on Thursday that he had low expectations for conversations and suggested that any progress would probably require a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Putin. Trump, currently touring the Middle East, has said that “nothing will happen until Putin and I meet.”
Interfax, citing a source family not identified with the negotiation process, informed that Russia opposed US participation in Friday’s conversations with Ukrainian negotiators.
Shortly before the conversations committed in Istanbul, the Kremlin said that Putin would closely follow any update and was constantly communicating with the Russian delegation.
“The president is receiving all the information in real time. He is being regularly with letters,” Dmitry Peskov, told journalists to Kremlin spokesman. “All the necessary guidelines for the negotiation position, which took place at the meeting we discussed previously, are in force.”
When asked to comment on Rubio’s statement that US and Russian presidents would need face to face so that progress is done in peace negotiations, Peskov said he agreed, but pointed out that a summit requires careful preparation.
“The contact between Putin and Trump is extremely important in the context of a Ukrainian agreement. Naturally, we agree with that position. The importance of that is difficult to exaggerate,” he said.
Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to show Trump, who has asked for a rapid end to war, which are committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
However, after months of transport diplomacy led by the United States and several rounds of mediated negotiations, the two parties at war do not seem closer to reaching a peace agreement than before the Trump Tok office in January.
Reuters contributed reports.
