Russia, Ukraine agree on prisoner swap but fail to reach ceasefire in Istanbul talks

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each following their first direct talks in more than three years, but failed to reach a breakthrough on a ceasefire to end the war that has devastated Ukraine since 2022.

The meeting, held in Istanbul on Friday, lasted just over 90 minutes and was seen as a small step forward in a conflict that has caused immense destruction and displaced millions.

Despite international pressure to move towards peace, the two sides walked away with few signs of significant progress.

According to AFP, Ukraine had called for an “unconditional ceasefire,” hoping to bring relief to its war-torn cities.

But Russia has consistently rejected such demands. The only solid outcome from the talks was the agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange.

Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s top negotiator, said both sides would share their ideas on a possible ceasefire and noted Ukraine’s request for a meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

"Overall, we are satisfied with the results and ready to continue contacts," he said.

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the swap deal and said discussions also covered a possible ceasefire and a presidential meeting.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who hosted the meeting at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace, said both delegations "agreed in principle to meet again" and would submit their ceasefire proposals in writing.

However, deeper issues remained unresolved. A Ukrainian source described Russia’s territorial demands as "unacceptable," claiming Moscow was trying to derail talks by asking Ukraine to withdraw from large areas it still controls.

Despite the limited progress, the fact the meeting happened at all was seen as a sign of movement, especially after weeks of rising pressure from Washington to engage in direct dialogue.

Yet, there was no sign of Putin himself. Though he proposed the meeting, he did not attend, instead sending a lower-level delegation.

Zelensky accused Putin of being “afraid” of a direct encounter and said Russia was not taking the talks seriously.

Speaking from a European summit in Albania, the Ukrainian leader called for strong international action if the talks failed, including tougher sanctions targeting Russia’s energy and banking sectors.

The meeting followed a day of trading insults. Zelensky said Moscow had sent “empty heads” to the table.

At the same time, both Russia and the US signaled support for a future meeting between Putin and former US President Donald Trump, who recently said that "nothing’s going to happen" without a face-to-face with Putin.

Zelensky warned that without a ceasefire, it would be "100-percent clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy" and said the world must respond firmly.

While the Istanbul meeting was underway, Ukrainian officials met separately with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and key advisors from Britain, France, and Germany. Rubio called for an end to the fighting, saying “the killing needs to stop.”

According to a Ukrainian source, Russia was pushing hardline positions, including threats to capture the Sumy and Kharkiv regions—areas near the border that were invaded at the start of the war but never formally claimed by Moscow.

Russia has said it will not give up any territory it currently holds.

Last year, Putin demanded that Kyiv withdraw from parts of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions still under Ukrainian control.

For now, both sides remain far apart on major issues, but they left the door open for further talks.