Ukraine and Russia Set for First Direct Talks in Three Years
- Ukraine and Russia held their first direct peace talks in over three years on May 16, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey, aiming to end the conflict.
- The talks followed years of failed negotiations marked by Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022 and ongoing disputes over territorial and political conditions.
- The Ukrainian team, headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, called for an immediate ceasefire, while the Russian delegation, under Vladimir Medinsky, emphasized the need to first resolve what it views as the underlying issues of the conflict.
- The negotiations included discussions on a large prisoner exchange of 1,000 detainees per side and referenced a potential ceasefire, with Turkey and the US playing facilitation roles.
- Despite tempered expectations and continued military hostilities, the talks signaled a possible pathway to peace, with both sides agreeing in principle to future meetings and confidence-building measures.
27 Articles
27 Articles
"We Are Ready to Fight Forever, Are You?" Ukraine and Russia Spoke Directly for the First Time in Three Years.
In Istanbul, direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place — the first since March 2022 — and the negotiators met at the Presidential Palace of Dolmabachce. The first round of discussions lasted two hours. According to RBK-Ukraine, the talks will no longer resume today. According to the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, the parties will continue to speak after each one has lost their vision of a possible ceasefire.
First Direct Dialogue Between Ukraine and Russia Concluded in Istanbul Since the Beginning of the War
After just two hours, the first direct dialogue between representatives of Ukraine and Russia was concluded this Friday in Istanbul. The low level that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to give to the Moscow delegation had reduced expectations about the results of this dialogue in the Turkish capital, where neither Putin nor the Ukrainian leader Volodimir Zelenski is expected to be present. The starting positions were very distant: while K…
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