Ukraine and Russia agree massive POW switch
Russia and Ukraine agreed to switch 1,000 prisoners of battle from every aspect, defence minister Rustem Umerov instructed Ukrainian TV on Friday as talks in Istanbul ended.
If the trade is going forward, it will be the largest prisoner switch in additional than 3 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Key occasions
Ukraine requires Zelenskyy-Putin assembly as ‘subsequent step’
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov says his nation’s 3rd goal is to carry “high-level discussions”.
I feel your next step can be that [a] leaders degree assembly must be organised. That can be our subsequent step.
He reiterates that “Ukraine wants peace”.
Ukraine’s defence minister says precedence in talks used to be ‘other people’
Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, has been chatting with journalists following talks with Russia in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian delegation’s first precedence within the talks used to be “people”, Umerov says, and each side reached an settlement to switch 1,000 prisoners of battle every.
He describes it as an “important achievement” that “shows that we are focused to finalise this war.”
Ukraine’s 2d goal used to be to speak about a ceasefire, Umerov says, and each side “exchanged some modalities” and groups are actually operating on “exchanging the details”.
Russia says it’s ‘glad’ after Ukraine talks finish after simply two hours
Ruth Michaelson
Despite the substantial fanfare, talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegation lasted below two hours.
A Ukrainian supply chatting with Reuters described Russian calls for as “non-starters,” whilst some other chatting with the Associated Press accused the Kremlin of introducing “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from swaths of territory.
However, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov instructed journalists that the assembly did produce the most important prisoner switch deal of the battle, the place each side will trade 1000 prisoners. Talks targeted totally on a ceasefire, a prisoner trade and a conceivable presidential assembly, he added.
The head of Russia’s delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, mentioned his aspect used to be “generally satisfied,” with the assembly consistent with Turkey’s state information company Anadolu. Both aspects agreed to give their imaginative and prescient of a ceasefire, he mentioned, and then talks can proceed.
Moscow has “taken note” of the Ukrainian request for Russian president Vladimir Putin to fulfill his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he added.
Medinsky instructed journalists the day past that Moscow noticed nowadays’s talks as a continuation of failed talks in 2022, amid complaint from the Ukrainian aspect that the delegation dispatched by way of Putin wasn’t tasked with generating critical negotiations.
Zelensky, at a convention in Albania, mentioned:
Russia despatched virtually the similar other people it despatched in 2022. They display that Russia has now not modified its elementary method … They are doing the whole lot they are able to to show this Istanbul assembly right into a staged, empty procedure.

Rowena Mason
Keir Starmer joined the leaders of France, Germany and Poland on a telephone name to Donald Trump to speak about Ukraine, and mentioned the international locations are making plans to “closely align” a reaction after discovering Russia’s place unacceptable.
Speaking to journalists in Tirana in Albania, the high minister mentioned:
We simply had a gathering with President Zelensky after which a telephone name with President Trump to speak about the tendencies within the negotiations nowadays. And the Russian place is obviously unacceptable, and now not for the primary time.
So on account of that assembly with President Zelensky and that decision with President Trump we are actually intently aligning our responses and can proceed to take action.
His feedback counsel there will likely be a concerted transfer by way of some western leaders to accentuate sanctions if the Kremlin does now not comply with a ceasefire, with Russian power prone to be a goal.
Here are some pictures from the newswires from Istanbul, the place Russian and Ukrainian officers met for the primary direct peace talks in additional than 3 years however with little hope for any significant leap forward.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree ‘in idea’ to fulfill once more, says Turkey
Turkey’s international minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired nowadays’s talks between Ukrainian and Russian officers in Istanbul, mentioned Friday’s assembly used to be an “important day for world peace”.
In a remark posted to X, Fidan mentioned each side agreed to switch 1,000 prisoners of battle every as a “confidence-building measure”.
Russian and Ukrainian officers additionally agreed to “share with the other side in writing the conditions that would make it possible to reach a ceasefire,” he wrote, including:
The events additionally agreed in idea to fulfill once more.
He added that Turkey will proceed to “make every effort to make it possible to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
Ukraine ‘in a position to take quickest conceivable steps to peace’, says Zelenskyy after name with Trump
Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed he has spoken with Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk on Friday.
In a remark posted on social media, the Ukrainian chief wrote:
Ukraine is able to take the quickest conceivable steps to convey actual peace, and it’s important that the arena holds a powerful stance.
Our place — if the Russians reject a complete and unconditional ceasefire and an finish to killings, difficult sanctions will have to apply. Pressure on Russia will have to be maintained till Russia is able to finish the battle.
Thank you to everybody on the planet who helps.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – with out Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy – for the primary time in additional than 3 years, however hopes for any significant leap forward are restricted.
Russia’s ‘unacceptable’ stance raised with Trump, says Starmer
British high minister Keir Starmer mentioned on Friday that he and the leaders of France, Germany and Poland as smartly as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed the Russian place in peace talks used to be “unacceptable” and had mentioned the topic with US president Donald Trump.
Speaking along French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish high minister Donald Tusk on the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Starmer mentioned the leaders have been intently “aligning” on their reaction.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, British high minister Keir Starmer and Polish high minister Donald Tusk held a phone name with US president Donald Trump on Friday, the Ukrainian chief’s spokesperson mentioned.
The spokesperson instructed journalists that main points of the dialog would apply quickly.
The telephone name came about after talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations resulted in Istanbul, with a Ukrainian supply calling Moscow’s calls for “non-starters”.
Ukraine and Russia agree massive POW switch
Russia and Ukraine agreed to switch 1,000 prisoners of battle from every aspect, defence minister Rustem Umerov instructed Ukrainian TV on Friday as talks in Istanbul ended.
If the trade is going forward, it will be the largest prisoner switch in additional than 3 years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia offered new ‘unacceptable calls for’ for Ukraine to withdraw forces in talks
A Ukrainian reputable on the talks on Friday accused the Kremlin of introducing new “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from large swathes of territory, consistent with the reputable.
The reputable spoke to the Associated Press on situation of anonymity as a result of he used to be now not accepted to make reputable statements.
The talks got here after greater than 3 months of international relations kickstarted by way of US president Donald Trump, who promised all through his marketing campaign to finish the devastating battle rapidly.

Pjotr Sauer
Russian and Ukrainian officers opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – with out Vladimir Putin or Volodomyr Zelenskyy – for the primary time in additional than 3 years, however hopes for any significant leap forward are restricted.
Images from the assembly held on the Dolmabahce Palace have been stark: a row of Russian delegates in darkish fits and reverse them Ukrainians dressed in their trademark inexperienced camouflage fight fatigues.
Before the assembly, the Turkish international minister, Hakan Fidan, addressed Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on the palace at the Bosphorus.
“There are two paths today: one leads to peace, and the other will cause more destruction and loss of life. Both sides will choose which path to take,” he instructed the negotiating groups.
The talks started 24 hours later than deliberate after an afternoon of bewilderment and political theatrics.