Istanbul talks: Ukraine, Russia agree to 'all-for-all' exchange covering three key categories

Following a meeting with the Russian side, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation in negotiations with the Russian Federation, stated that the parties "agreed on exchanges," according to Novyny.LIVE. He promised to reveal the details soon.

At a press conference following the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, he stated that the parties agreed to exchange "all for all" severely wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war. The delegations also agreed to exchange all young soldiers aged 18 to 25.

In addition, they agreed on a third exchange – the bodies of deceased soldiers in a "6000 for 6000" format.

In turn, the Russian delegation handed over a "memorandum" to Ukraine. The Ukrainian team will have a week to study it, after which the parties will coordinate further steps.

Ukraine also proposed that the Russian side hold another meeting before the end of the month – from June 20 to June 30.

Meanwhile, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, reported that the parties would allegedly create a commission to exchange severely wounded soldiers without political decisions, according to RIA Novosti. 

According to him, Russia offered Ukraine a "concrete ceasefire" for two to three days in certain areas of the front so that commanders could retrieve the bodies of their soldiers. He added that "Ukrainian military officials promised to consider the proposal for a ceasefire in certain areas in the near future." 

At the same time, Medinsky stated that Ukraine had given Russia a list of 339 names of children who had been abducted by the occupiers to the territory of the Russian Federation. Despite this, he called the statement of the Ukrainian delegation "a show for sentimental Europeans."

The dictator's representative denies that Russia kidnapped children. According to him, there are "only children rescued by Russian soldiers."

"Today, during negotiations in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side officially handed over to the Russian side a list of Ukrainian children who need to be returned," writes the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak.

According to Yermak, it concerns hundreds of children whom Russia illegally deported, forcibly displaced, or detains in temporarily occupied territories.

"Back in March, at a meeting in Jeddah, we confirmed our readiness for a 30-day ceasefire with a humanitarian component," added the head of the President's Office.

The negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations ended at around 4:00 p.m., President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference following the Vilnius summit of the Bucharest Nine and Nordic countries.

The start of the negotiations was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at 2:44 p.m.

Earlier, journalists published footage of the Ukrainian delegation's arrival.

The meeting is scheduled for the afternoon, according to Suspilne, citing Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi.

According to Ukrinform, citing the communications directorate of the Turkish president's administration, the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Çırağan Palace.

The day before, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation, once again led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. 

On the same day, the Russian delegation, headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived in Istanbul.

Kyiv submits its peace proposal to Moscow in Ukrainian and English only

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul talks, confirmed that Moscow had received the document in those two languages.

“It’s fine, we managed,” he said, as quoted by RIA Novosti. “Our delegation includes people who speak a wide range of languages. Two of them, for example, are fluent in Japanese.”

Ukraine-Russia peace talks: background

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey took place in Istanbul, followed by direct negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine. According to Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the key issues were a prisoner exchange in a “1000 for 1000” format, the possibility of a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, Donald Trump, after a conversation with Vladimir Putin, announced the immediate start of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, on May 20, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there were no timelines for preparing a peace memorandum. Later, on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not have the authority to sign a peace memorandum and that Ukraine must elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. President’s special representative Keith Kellogg announced that Washington had received a document from Ukraine outlining conditions for peace and is now awaiting a memorandum from Russia. He also mentioned a possible location for future negotiations between the parties. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul as the venue for a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that an announcement about a new round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides would supposedly be made soon. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov noted that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is possible only if concrete agreements are reached. He also added that work on the Russian draft memorandum is almost complete.

On May 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Rustem Umerov had called Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, but the Ukrainian side still has not received a memorandum from Russia. After this, Lavrov stated that the Russian delegation is ready to present their memorandum at the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the Russian side is delaying the peace process aimed at ending the war.

On May 31, Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about Russia’s intentions, saying that neither Ukraine nor its international partners have a clear understanding of what Moscow might propose at the talks.

Ukraine plans to present a roadmap for a sustainable peace settlement during the negotiations.