Russian and Ukrainian officials have met for their first direct negotiations in over three years, convening at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace in an attempt to find a path toward ending the war.
The talks, hosted by Türkiye and chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, lasted under two hours and ended without agreement on a ceasefire.
Despite the short duration and fundamental differences between the delegations, a breakthrough was achieved in the form of a significant prisoner exchange deal. Both sides agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each — the largest such exchange since the conflict began in 2022.
Ukrainian delegate Rustem Umerov said the top priorities were securing the release of prisoners and establishing a ceasefire, adding that the next step should be a meeting between the two nations’ leaders. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, leading Moscow’s delegation, confirmed that both parties would submit detailed ceasefire proposals and explore the possibility of a future summit between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin.
However, progress on broader issues proved elusive. A Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, described Russia’s conditions for ending the war — including demands for Kyiv to withdraw from parts of its own territory — as “detached from reality” and “non-constructive.”
Russian officials, meanwhile, characterized the Istanbul meeting as a continuation of earlier negotiations from 2022, where Moscow pushed for a reduction in Ukraine’s military capacity and a shift to neutrality.
Foreign Minister Fidan told delegates they faced “two paths — one leading to peace, the other to more destruction and death,” urging them to choose wisely. The visual contrast between the delegations was also notable: Russian officials arrived in formal business attire, while many Ukrainian representatives wore military uniforms, reflecting the ongoing war effort on Kyiv’s side.
The renewed dialogue follows mounting international pressure, particularly from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been urging both sides to de-escalate. Reporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith noted that while Trump’s influence may have contributed to the prisoner swap, core disagreements remain. Ukraine is pushing for a 30-day ceasefire, while Russia wants long-term negotiations focused on Ukraine’s geopolitical status.
Speaking from a summit in Albania, President Zelenskyy reiterated his commitment to a “full, unconditional and honest ceasefire” as a basis for diplomacy. He also warned that failure to reach such an agreement should prompt new sanctions against Russia’s energy and financial sectors.
With Putin absent from the Istanbul talks and Trump suggesting that a ceasefire would require direct engagement with him, hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough remain cautious at best.
