Ukraine War: Moscow and Kyiv agree on further prisoner exchange

Russia and Ukraine have agreed another prisoner exchange in their negotiations in Turkey. 1,200 prisoners on both sides are to be handed over, as the Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinski said after the talks to journalists in Istanbul.

According to his information, seriously injured should also be exchanged along the front in the Ukraine war, which has lasted for more than three years. Kyiv confirmed the planned continuation of the exchanges, but gave no concrete numbers.

Russia also offered the return of 3,000 other Ukrainian fallen, said Medinski. According to him, Moscow has already handed over around 7,000 corpses. The Russian presidential advisor and ex-culture minister praised the implementation of the previous agreements: “All agreements from the last time were complied with,” he said. The last agreed exchange of 250 people each takes place on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

Short and scarce meeting

Almost three and a half years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, representatives of both countries in the city on the Bosphorus continued their last -stopping direct discussions. Delegations of both sides came together in the Ciragan Palace on the Bosphorus under Turkish leadership, as could be seen on television pictures.

The talks scheduled for 7 p.m. (6 p.m. CEST) started with almost one and a half hours delay. Previously, the two chief negotiators had met for a short four -eye conversation. The conversation in a large group only took 40 minutes.

Before the negotiations began, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the ultimate goal was a ceasefire that paved the way to peace. However, a breakthrough in this third round of negotiation was previously considered unlikely.

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj had slowed expectations. For Kiev, the expansion of the prisoner exchange and the withdrawal of children that Russia had deported from the occupied areas was primarily, he said on Tuesday. On the negotiation day, he said in a video message that Ukraine would also demand an “immediate and complete ceasefire”.

The Russian leadership has been rejecting this demand for months. US President Donald Trump had made a corresponding proposal in March. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin refused on the grounds that the Ukrainians would use the fire break for retrofitting and reorganizing their troops.

Nevertheless, the Kremlin had stated that the meeting would expect to approach the previously opposite positions of Moscow and Kiev on the conditions for a ceasefire. However, “great diplomatic work” is necessary, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow.

Unterwers know each other

The Ukrainian team’s chief negotiator was again the ex-defense minister and newly appointed secretary of the National Security Council, Rustem Umjerow. Medinski, who led the Russian side, wore a T-shirt with the inscription “Putin Team” when he arrived in Turkey. According to information from Ankara, the head of the Turkish secret service, Ibrahim Kalin, and the chief of staff Metin Gürak took part in the talks.

Many open issues remain

Apparently no agreement has been reached with further questions. At his press conference, Umjerow announced that his delegation had proposed to hold a summit between Selenskyj, Putin, Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by the end of August. At the same time, Medinski said that a meeting at the presidential level should not serve negotiations, but their conclusion. So there must be agreement on ways to peace beforehand.

Ukraine, in turn, rejected a short -term short -term proposed short -term – between 24 and 48 hours – on individual front sections. A ceasefire had to be honest and a stop of the attacks on infrastructure and civilians, made it clear Umjerow Kiev.

However, both sides expect a continuation of the negotiations. Moscow and Kyiv have again recorded direct talks in May in 2022.