Moscow and Kiev each agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war during Friday’s peace talks in Istanbul, the first direct sit-down between the warring states in more than three years. Little progress was made toward a broader truce, however.
Speaking after the meeting, Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said he was “satisfied” with the first round of talks in light of the prisoner swap deal, and suggested the dialogue would resume in the future.
“We agreed that each side will present its vision for the possible future ceasefire and write it out in detail,” he said. “Once that is done and this has been discussed too, we think it will be reasonable to continue our negotiations.”
Medinsky added that Ukraine had urged for direct meetings between the leaders of the two countries, and said the request would be taken “under advisement.”
While the head of Kiev’s delegation, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, did not reveal any plans for additional talks, he confirmed the upcoming prisoner swap in comments to reporters, saying a date had been set without disclosing it.
Ahead of the meeting in the Turkish capital, Ukrainian officials demanded a complete and unconditional ceasefire for at least one month, a sweeping POW-swap, and a sit-down between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. On Friday, Zelensky urged for new economic sanctions on Moscow should it refuse those terms.
“Our position – if the Russians reject a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings, tough sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media.
Though the Kremlin has said it is open to a ceasefire – and attempted to implement a brief unilateral pause to coincide with Victory Day celebrations earlier this month – Russia now claims sovereignty over five formerly Ukrainian regions and insists it will not give them up. That is a non-starter for Kiev, which has refused to accept Russian control over any of its pre-2022 territory and demands the complete withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to bring the war to an end, but said earlier this week that no progress would be made in the peace talks until he personally met with Putin. Following the negotiations on Friday, Trump said his administration was working to set up just such a meeting.
“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” he told reporters, later adding, “[Putin] and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it or maybe not. At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.”
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
"Russia now claims sovereignty over five former Ukrainian regions" – by five regions they mean two Donbass republics, Zaporozhie, Kherson and Crimea. Russian delegation only repeated what was confirmed by Putin in June 2024. The only new thing what Russian delegation claimed this time is a buffer zone in Sumy and Kharkov oblasts.
"That is a non-starter for Kiev" – not exactly. Kiev agreed to meet again and talk about that. We should separate the hawkish rhetoric and the understanding of the real situation by Kiev regime. At least Yermak (he is probably the most important man in Kiev at the moment) understands this very well. The real non-starter are EU peace plans which were ignored by Kremlin. Only former president Medvedev bothered to answer to its authors: "you could shove these peace plans up your pangender arses".
Of course NATO is not ready for a peace deal but to keep Kiev regime under control and continue the war is too expensive.
The good news from Kyiv: with or without a ceasefire, Ukraine has a newfound confidence. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/14/ukraine-newfound-confidence-europe-russia-usa
After more than three years of war, Ukrainians are tired, but they are not exhausted. The soldiers, civil society representatives, parliamentarians and government officials appear ever-more determined to stand tall and defend their country.
True, the blatant show of warmth between the White House and the Kremlin is unsettling. But Ukrainians also think Putin will continue overshooting with his demands. This is why Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his bluff this week, proposing a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul.
Putin, on the back foot, may pull another diplomatic rabbit out of the hat to gain time, postpone new sanctions and divide the west once again. But it’s becoming increasingly clear, even to the Putin-friendly White House, that Russia doesn’t want to end the war now. This, alongside the minerals deal Ukraine signed with the Trump administration, may have contributed to a subtle repositioning in Washington.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f7a8e84384e48a27aac0ab5cde38d19dd67b80788dec492b6bcee88a1256d0c7.jpg
You mean Zelenski expects a lots more money from US, UK and EU. No wonder he is excited, US is not s neuthsl broker, so itbis wxoected to look after its interest.
As for Zelenski, he knows what everybody does — that Ukrainians cannot wait to be rid of him.
And the prisoner exchange? Ukraine is preventing thousands of its population of Russian ethnicity from returning to their homes in now Russian controlled areas. They were forced to evacuate. They are going to be “exchanged” so they can go back home.
The process hopefully suceeds with Trump’s oressure. But Zelenski cannot hope for Russia surrendering. At this point sanctions are more than welcome — will hurt Europe more than Russia. You would think Russia gets it.
You mean, you're a semi-literate pro-Kremlin troll and you would prefer to ignore the NPT.
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons agreed to provide compensation and security assurances from Russia, the US and UK, and to respect Ukrainian independence and sovereignty in the existing borders. Years later, Russia, one of the parties to the agreement, invaded Ukraine in violation of international law.
As for Zelenskyy, the latest poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed that 68% of Ukrainians approved of him as president. His approval rating is now double that of Donald the dictator.
There is no reasoning with trolls.
Even a dedicated troll knows that the polling by “Kyiv Internstiinal Institute of Sociology is a make-believe poll. And even trolls know that Donald Trump is the
President of US.
The treaty you are referring to was violared by Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine took obligation to obide by OSCE Helsinki Final Act. Violations that Ukraine conmmitted as you should know — made the treaty null and void.
The reality of that breach of Treaty nullifues the committments of all parties. If you really wanted it legal — there you are.
But the war stemed from Ukraine decade long violation of UN Charter, Article 1, Paragraph 2, the essential element of Minsk Agreements.
In plain vernacular, Ukraine wanted territory — territorial integrity — but rejected the people. Which of course gives those people right to self determination.
Ukraine needs some serious reforns to end discrimination of minorities, religion, and right of people to organize into political parties. Ukraine must stop murdering journalists, and dissenters. We will not forget Gonzalo Lira.
There is no reasoning with idiots.
Only a childish Kremlin troll would say the poll is 'make-believe'. Pretending and imagining things is what Trumpanzees to best. And everyone knows that Trump is a convicted felon and a confirmed liar.
Ukraine, along with all OSCE participating states, is obligated to abide by the principles and spirit of the OSCE Helsinki Final Act.
The Russian invasion of Crimea and Donbas in 2014 was a blatant violation of the Helsinki and Minsk Agreements.
United Nations Charter – Chapter I, Article II:
3. All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.
4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.
5. All Members shall give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.
6. The Organization shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/chapter-1
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/66e5bf17ddc29e302362f4584abeab8785ebd1b453d7c936e2c9feb2d0feed5a.jpg
The Russian claims violate publicly recognized international law. Without a ceasefire, the pseudo-peace talks mean hypocrisy, delay. The Russian version of alleged Ukrainian fascism or a geomilitary threat from NATO does not correspond to the facts about submarine traffic or the composition of the Ukrainian parliament.
https://www.marinevesseltraffic.com/2013/02/military-ship-track.html
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/16/von-der-leyen-pitches-new-eu-sanctions-on-russias-energy-and-financial-sectors
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-readying-new-sanctions-increase-pressure-russia-von-der-leyen-says-2025-05-16/
According to the international law, people of Donbass, Crimea, Zaporozhie and Kherson oblasts have the right of self-determination because after the unconstitutional change of power in Kiev in 2014, Kiev authorities stopped to represent them. Their reintegration into Russian Federation according to the international law was legal. It was decided on the referendums. Russia has right to protect her citizens.
You propagandistically, and biasedly, illiterately and ill-informedly, always spread the same legal nonsense despite repeated information from me to the contrary.
Sorry to invite myself to this conversation, but I assure you those statements are not ignorant — let us have facts, then argue them if you wish.
First, the various legal documents that defined UKrainian birder — ended all null and void when in 2014 Ukraine violated its obligations to Heksinki Final Acts, under OSCE.
Subsequent changes to Ukrainian laws that violate fundamental human and civil rights of its citizens on the basis of nationality, ethnicity and religion — were the violation of UN Charter Article 1, Paragraph 2. Which gives the right to people to self-determination.
European Union has a whole body of laws covering civil and human rights — yet remained silent as Ukraine starting killing its own citizens who lost any neans of redress following a coup.
If we add to this discrimination in jobs, ownershiip of property, absence of judicial redress. Extra judicial arrests and killings. No freedom of press or political freedom, and complete ban on opposition . Many journalists were murdered.
All of the above laws and practices that codified the discrimnation —. are the legitimate grounds for invoking UN Charter Article One, Paragraph Two, Right of people on Self-Determination.
Minsk Accords were signed in order to remove the legal discrimination and reintegrate the separatist regions. Bad faith was admitted by European leaders that were supposed to be the guarantors.
The additional problems Russian minorities faced — was through Ukrainian mandatory evacuations along front line. What in practice it meabs that those people
cannot go back home to areas under Russian control. Tens of thousands are displaced.
This war needs to end for tve sake of real humsn veings that are suffering , displaced or in fear of being forced to the front.
There are other regions where an indeoendent referrndums should be conducted county by county to determine where the majority wants to live. Why force them to live in a country they do not want to be in.
This cannot happen because the Ukrainian leadership is commutted to war, and Europe is striving to reirganize into war structure without consensus and with hierarchy. These trends — if allowed to proceed by voters – will push Europe into long term continued conflict.
Voters are the key in Europe.
For Ukraine it is late. Without the true pilitical representation — elections even if allowed — are meaningless.
Under current Kiev regime the elections are not exactly meaningless. There are different groups of interests within the ruling elite. They are united by the financial help from NATO. Still, if elections organized, not only those who are at the top of state hierarchy would vote but also the ordinary people who are the losers under the current regime. So some changes would be inevitable. In U.S. by the way also only politicians loyal to the current regime can be successful. Still the elections are important.
In theory yes. But there will be no candidates that population can trully elect.
That is provided that there will be even ballot boxes provided in the counties with “wrong “ nationality. That practice was normal in all elections since the coup in 2014.
Since collective Europe with a few honorable exceptions feigns ignorance of civil rights and human rights abuses — and observing other trends in political elite consensus — we can conclude that anti-Russia narrative will intensify.
And at present, this narrative has a life of its own, with or without Ukraine. British and French motivations are easy to understand. Both wish to revive their real leading role in European affairs, and both vying for US ongoing support.
Germany is harder to understand . It seems that somebody is very keen to give it a make over in line with its old militaristic identity. But Germany is seriously divided. And the historic irony is that the regions of former Prussia are today dominated by AfD, a party against the war, while the Western part, dominated by typical erdtern liberal parties — are the most rabbidly anti Russian. Their identities are diverging.
It is almost going to Bismarckian period prior to the uniificatiin. And prior to Queen Victoria’s grandson taking the throne of Germany. And led the ciuntry into unnecessary war. Which Britain expected to win. And it was the German peasant soldiers from Prussian regions who prevented the expected easy British victory and prolonged the war. The first act oif Versailles treaty was to dismember Prussia.
Yet, it appears that what Bismarck feared the outcome of unification was going to remain the historical divide between regions that had a little in common.
This is why Germany is heading into crisis. But UK and France have secured Poland as an insurance against German wobble.
I do agree almost with everything what you have written.
Anti-Russian ideas dominate Europe every time when Europe is united. And every time it does finish bad for Europe. This time it is particular hopeless with all those nukes available and with China standing shoulder to shoulder with Russia.
You don't mention that Ukraine only has 2,000 Russian prisoners, while Russia has many times more Ukrainian prisoners. So this means half of all Russian POWs are coming home, but only a minority of Ukrainians.
Likewise when they exchange dead bodies these days, Russia consistently hands over 909 Ukrainian dead, while the Ukrainians have only around 43 or so Russian dead.
You can see the numbers here at Simplicius' Substack, if you search for "another exchange of bodies took place":
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/russia-stands-firm-in-istanbul-as
Here are the last exchanges, with the number of dead Ukrainians vs the number of dead Russians:
501 – 89
563 – 37
502 – 52
503 – 42
757 – 49
757 – 45
909 – 43
909 – 41
909 – 34
About 20 times more dead Ukrainians.
They have to press-gang people every day. And keep them until they die or are severely maimed. Whereas on the Russian side the main attrition is by soldiers' contracts expiring. But leftist media never mention that fact.
Of course they would never mention those facts. But whom they are fooling? Russians know about that very well. Ukrainians too. They are cheating only NATO citizens with purpose to convince them that their money are well invested. Maybe they are right in their belief that majority of NATO citizens are quite Russo-phobic and happy to invest their money in killing Russians. And also they are probably right that few people in NATO countries do care about Ukrainians.
What does handing over the bodies of dead soldiers mean, that Russia's war practice tends not to take prisoners of war, instead preferring to kill enemy soldiers?
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/russia-stands-firm-in-istanbul-as