Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since 2022 in Istanbul, but without reaching any meaningful breakthrough. Neither Vladimir Putin nor Volodymyr Zelenskyy were present at the meeting held at the Dolmabahce Palace, which lasted just under two hours. Expectations were already low for the talks, with US officials playing down hopes and Moscow showing little willingness to compromise.
The only tangible result of the Istanbul talks was that Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each – the largest prisoner swap of the conflict. Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.Spooky-BigBang
The only tangible result of the Istanbul talks was that Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each – the largest prisoner swap of the conflict. Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.Spooky-BigBang
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