Istanbul, May 16 (EFE).- Russia and Ukraine resumed peace talks in Istanbul on Friday after a stalemate since 2022, while they did not yet agree on a ceasefire, they will consider each side’s proposals.
“In general, we are satisfied with the result and are ready to continue s. In the coming days, there will be a massive thousand-for-thousand prisoner exchange,” said chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky at a press conference.
The talks at the Dolmabahce Palace, chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, seemed to sidestep the more controversial political aspects.
“Today was an important day for world peace,” Fidan wrote on the X network.
Moscow and Kyiv also left the door open for a possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the former refused to travel to Istanbul.
Both delegations will leave the city in the coming hours.
No ceasefire after more than three years
Ukraine has repeatedly stated in recent days that its main objective is to immediately cease hostilities for at least 30 days.
There was no agreement, as Russia demands guarantees of monitoring and that Ukraine will not rearm, and Moscow opted for a plan that does not commit it to curb its offensive in the Donbass for the time being.
“We have agreed that each side will present its vision of a possible future ceasefire and spell it out in detail. After such a vision has been presented, we believe it would be appropriate, as also agreed, to continue our negotiations,” Medinsky said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said, “Our colleagues are in and will exchange all the documents. Now we need to exchange people, and we will inform you what is next.”
At the end of the negotiations, Zelenskyy and the leaders of , , the United Kingdom, and Poland spoke to US President Donald Trump by phone from Tirana.
“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,” Zelenskyy wrote on social networks.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that “Once again, President Putin refuses to respond to the unconditional ceasefire proposal put forward by the Americans and ed by Ukraine and the Europeans.”
“By rejecting the ceasefire and dialogue with Ukraine, Russia shows it does not want peace and is merely trying to buy time by continuing the war,” he added.
Big war swap and possible Putin-Zelensky summit
Apart from the verbal commitment to hold a second round of negotiations, the only concrete agreement reached on Friday is the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side, one of the largest since the war began.
In addition, Medinski pointed out that “the Ukrainian side asked for direct talks between the leaders of our states. We have taken note of this request.
Umerov confirmed the request after Putin’s refusal to attend Friday’s meeting nearly derailed the negotiations.
The Trump factor
Trump, who had agreed to meet with Putin and Zelensky, returned to the U.S. on Friday.
He assured that he was ready to meet with Putin, adding that he understood that the Russian leader did not go to Istanbul without him.
“They all said Putin was going and Zelensky was going. And I said, ‘If I don’t go, I guarantee Putin is not going,’ and he didn’t go,” Trump told reporters Friday.
“And I understand that, but we’re going to get it done, we’re going to get it done. We’ve got to get it done,” he added.
The Kremlin called such a summit “extremely important” for achieving lasting peace in Ukraine.
Such a meeting is certainly necessary – both for Russian-American bilateral relations and for a serious conversation at the highest level on international and regional issues, including the crisis around Ukraine,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily telephone press briefing.EFE
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