The initial direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early days of Moscow’s 2022 invasion concluded on Friday after under two hours, as reported by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and a high-ranking Ukrainian official.
Kyiv charged the Kremlin with presenting new “unacceptable demands” for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from large areas of land, based on information from an official who requested anonymity as he was not permitted to make official comments. The official stated that the demands had not been discussed earlier.
Ukraine reiterated its focus on attaining progress
He mentioned that the Ukrainian side reaffirmed its commitment to attaining genuine progress — a swift ceasefire and a route to meaningful diplomacy, “similar to what the US, European allies, and other nations suggested,” the official noted.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also announced in a statement that the session has concluded.
The two parties occupied a U-shaped table but were still quite distant in their demands for concluding the conflict. US President Donald Trump, who has urged both Moscow and Kyiv to resolve the conflict, stated that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin would take place “as soon as we can arrange it.”
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In Istanbul, a Ukrainian delegation headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov sat opposite a lower-level Russian group led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, as stated by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, who shared a photo of the encounter.
Russia ready to continue discussions
Vladimir Medinsky, the leader of Russia’s team at the peace talks in Istanbul regarding Ukraine, stated on Friday following the negotiations that Moscow was pleased with the outcomes and was prepared to continue discussions with Kyiv.
Medinsky stated that Russia and Ukraine had consented to a exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side in the upcoming days, marking one of the biggest exchanges since the conflict started.
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Overall, we are pleased with the outcome and are ready to continue contacts. In the upcoming days, there will be an extensive thousand-for-thousand exchange of prisoners,” Medinsky stated.
“The Ukrainian government asked for direct discussions between the state leaders. We have acknowledged this request,” he remarked.
