Turkey Urges Immediate Ceasefire at Russia-Ukraine Talks

The talks between Ukraine and Russia, which took place in Istanbul on May 16, turned out to be more positive than expected.

Despite fundamental differences on key issues, the sides discussed the possibility of a ceasefire and agreed on a potential exchange of prisoners of war.

Russia and Ukraine resume direct talks in Istanbul for first time since 2022 - Syriac Press

ISTANBUL — Russian and Ukrainian officials convened in Istanbul on Thursday for the first direct negotiations since peace talks collapsed in 2022.  The discussions, facilitated by a trilateral meeting involving delegations from Turkey, the United States, and Russia, were preceded by separate meetings between US and Turkish officials with their Ukrainian counterparts earlier in the day.  The Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, a seni…

In the absence of Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, who ordered his army to invade Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and who did not make the trip to Turkey, the hopes for substantial progress were slim. The two delegations, led by the Minister of Defence on the Ukrainian side and by a second adviser, were led by ...

Turkey urges immediate ceasefire at Russia-Ukraine talks

ISTANBUL — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday urged Russia and Ukraine to seize a “critical opportunity” to pursue peace, as the two sides met for the first direct contact since March 2022 amid hopes of restarting negotiations to end the war. Speaking at the opening of the talks, Fidan called for an immediate cease-fire and underscored the growing urgency of halting the conflict. “This meeting is the first direct contact between the …