Russia-Ukraine war: Istanbul talks fail to go beyond prisoner swap, eyes on summit proposal

The Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul did not yield a breakthrough, except that both sides agreed to initiate another round of prisoner exchange. While the one-hour-long meeting was largely unsuccessful, Kyiv said that it has agreed to a prisoner swap with Moscow that is currently in process along the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

Under the deal, Russia and Ukraine would swap 250 prisoners of war each. Ukraine’s former defence minister Rustem Umerov, who led the talks in Istanbul, said that the two sides have also agreed to “exchange of at least 1,200 more prisoners of war from each side in the near future”.

The two earlier rounds of talks held in Istanbul, in May and June, led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the return of fallen soldiers’ remains, but achieved little progress toward a lasting peace.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that so far around 1,000 PoWs have returned home. “Bringing all our people back is a priority for the state and we will continue all efforts to ensure that all our people return from captivity.”

Why were the talks unsuccessful?

The meeting between the two delegations in Istanbul came after US President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to end the war in 50 days or face “very severe tariffs.”

Umerov said that while he had proposed an in-person summit between Zelenskyy and Putin, Russia rejected the bid, saying such a meeting would only be appropriate if the two sides sign an agreement, according to Reuters.

The two sides also remained divided over the terms of any potential ceasefire, with Umerov stating that Ukraine was seeking a “full and unconditional ceasefire as a necessary basis for effective diplomacy,” while Russia proposed a series of short ceasefires lasting between 24 and 48 hours along the front line to allow medical teams to retrieve dead and wounded soldiers.

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Trump deadline

The two sides previously met in the Turkish city in May and June, but at those talks managed to agree only on other exchanges of prisoners and soldiers’ bodies.

Trump last week gave Russia 50 days to end the war or face sanctions, but the Kremlin has not indicated it is willing to compromise.

“No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about his expectations for the talks.

Opening the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: “Our aim is to end this bloody war, which has a very high cost, as soon as possible.”

He added: “The ultimate goal is a ceasefire that will pave the way for peace.”

With inputs from agencies