ISTANBUL: Russia and Ukraine agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange, said they would trade ideas on a possible ceasefire and discussed a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in their first direct talks in over three years on Friday.

But coming out of the highly anticipated talks in Istanbul, which lasted just over 90 minutes, there were few signs of more significant progress toward ending the three-year war.

Kyiv was seeking an “unconditional ceasefire” to pause a conflict that has destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow has consistently rebuffed those calls, and the only concrete agreement appeared to be a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.

The two sides said they would “present their vision of a possible future ceasefire”, according to Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky.

They did not agree any suspension to the fighting.

Russia said it had also taken note of Ukraine’s request for a meeting of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.

“Overall, we are satisfied with the results and ready to continue contacts,” Medinsky said.

Ukraine’s top negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said the “next step” would be a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

“We understand that if we want to make progress, we need to have this meeting of leaders,” Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy later said, praising the prisoner swap as a “great result”.

Putin ‘afraid’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who presided over the meeting, said the sides had “agreed in principle to meet again” and would present ceasefire ideas “in writing”.

Fidan sat at the head of a table in front of Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace for the talks — with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the room showed.

But progress on more fundamental issues appeared minimal.

Tykhy, the Ukrainian spokesperson, said Russia had raised a number of “unacceptable demands”, with a source saying Moscow had demanded Kyiv give up more territory — a strategy it said was designed to derail the negotiations.

Nevertheless, the fact the meeting took place at all was a sign of movement, with both sides having come under steady pressure from Washington to open talks.

Putin declined to travel to Turkiye for the meeting, sending a second-tier team instead.

Zelensky said Putin was “afraid” of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks “seriously”.

Speaking at a European summit in Albania, the Ukrainian leader urged a “strong reaction” from the world if the talks failed, including new sanctions.

The two sides spent 24 hours slinging insults at each other before the meeting, with Zelensky accusing Moscow of sending “empty heads” to the negotiating table.

Both Moscow and Washington have also talked up the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump on the conflict.

The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Britain and Poland held a phone call with Trump on Friday, Zelensky’s spokesperson said.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2025