Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul: results, no peace

During the negotiations, the Ukrainian side proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire plan, but Russia did not accept this proposal. The Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, demanded that Ukraine completely withdraw from the territories annexed by Russia. Ukraine considered these demands to be completely unacceptable and far from reality.

Despite the lively discussions between the parties, the only practical outcome of the talks was an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war with each side. This is the largest prisoner exchange of the war so far. Representatives of the Turkish side considered this result as a first step towards building confidence for the agreement.

After the negotiations were concluded, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, and Poland, expressing the need to impose new sanctions against Russia.

The talks were not attended by presidential levels. Russian President Vladimir Putin was criticized by US President Donald Trump for not attending the meeting, saying the Russian government was not yet ready for a serious agreement.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said both delegations expressed their readiness for further talks, and the Vatican also offered to host future talks.

Although the Istanbul talks did not lead to major diplomatic breakthroughs, they are seen as an important step in the long process towards peace.