Prisoner swap, ceasefire, Putin and Zelenskyy meeting: Ukrainian delegation sums up talks with Russia in Istanbul

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov made a statement to journalists following the talks, Suspilne reports.

What Ukraine and Russia discussed

The Ukrainian Defense Minister said, “We talked about a 1,000-for-1,000 exchange and are working on other details of the swap.”

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, also mentioned the exchange, RIA Novosti reported.

According to Umerov, the parties are also preparing a potential meeting between the country leaders.

“We discussed the exchange and the ceasefire. We talked with our partners, and the purpose of our talks was to discuss the ceasefire and then the POW exchange. We are also getting ready for a possible meeting between the leaders,” Umerov said.

Diplomat: We hope high-level talks will take place

First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya said that pressure on Russia should continue.

"There are many issues that can be resolved if the leaders meet. Because, given the complexity of all these problems and the nature of Russia's activities, which is that only President Putin can have the final say in resolving these issues, that is why we hope that negotiations at the level of the leaders of our countries will soon take place," he emphasized.

Parties agreed to meet again — Turkish Foreign Ministry

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange prisoners 1000 for 1000 "as a confidence-building measure" as a result of talks on May 16.

"They also agreed that the conditions that will allow achieving a ceasefire will be transmitted to the other side in writing. The parties also agreed in principle to meet again. As Turkey, we will continue to make every effort to make a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine possible," Fidan wrote in X.

Earlier, the talks in Istanbul were reported by AA, BBC, and Sky News.

First, a trilateral meeting between Turkey, the United States, and Ukraine took place at the Turkish president’s Dolmabahçe residence at 10:45 a.m. In the same location, a trilateral meeting between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey was scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

As of 12:50 p.m., it was known that the Russian delegation had arrived at the negotiation venue. First, its head, Vladimir Medinsky, was to meet with a representative of the United States. According to the BBC, U.S. official Michael Anton was expected to participate in this meeting, which would precede the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia conclude

At 3:24 p.m. Kyiv time, reports said that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, mediated by Turkey, had ended. Reuters and SkyNews confirmed this, citing a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

SkyNews also reported, quoting a Ukrainian source, that the Russian delegation's demands went beyond what had been discussed earlier and were unrealistic. In particular, Russia demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Ukrainian regions that the Russian government claims as its own in exchange for a ceasefire.

Russia threatened to seize Kharkiv and Sumy regions

The Economist journalist Oliver Carroll reported, citing his own source, that Moscow threatened to seize two more Ukrainian regions, namely Kharkiv and Sumy, during the negotiations.

Also, according to the source, Russia said that it would agree to a ceasefire only if Kyiv withdrew its troops from the four temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

The journalist also quoted the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, who said that Russia was ready to fight forever.

“Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones. Russia is prepared to fight forever,” he said.

Carroll explained that last year, Serhiy Kyslytsya — Ukraine’s then-ambassador to the UN and now part of the delegation in Istanbul — told the Security Council that his nephew had been killed in combat in 2022. It’s possible Medinsky’s remark was aimed at him.

How negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian started

The meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul began around 1 p.m. Kyiv time.

It is taking place after a brief meeting between American officials and the Russian delegation, and against the backdrop of statements from Ukrainian diplomats that Russia is undermining the long-awaited peace talks by demanding at the last minute that no other countries be involved.

Before the talks started, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made a statement welcoming the “desire for peace” shown by the leaderships of Russia and Ukraine, calling it a new chance for progress.

He said, “We have two paths ahead — one leads to peace, the other to more destruction. It is up to the parties to choose which path to follow.” Fidan added that the talks in Istanbul are important for preparing a possible meeting between the two leaders.

The talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul are happening behind closed doors and with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan present. A source from the Ukrainian delegation told Espreso that Ukrainians are communicating with the Russians through an interpreter.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, wrote on Telegram that the Russians want to form associations related to 2022.

"But the only thing connecting these negotiations to 2022 is the city of Istanbul. Nothing else. All Russian attempts to link today’s talks to 2022 will fail," the head of the President’s Office emphasized.

Earlier, Sky News, citing a Ukrainian diplomatic source, reported that Russia is trying to derail the negotiations by insisting at the last minute on a face-to-face meeting with Ukraine in Istanbul without the presence of Turkey or the United States.

"Another sign that the Russian side is undermining peace efforts. We came for a serious discussion, while the Russians are making demands and setting conditions. This makes us doubt whether Putin sent them to solve problems or just to stall the process," the source said on condition of anonymity. "There is only one reason why the Russians are afraid of the U.S. being in the room—they came to stall the process, not to solve problems, and they want to hide this from the United States."

It was previously reported that the Ukraine-Russia talks were supposed to take place with the participation of the Turkish delegation, led by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Turkey – U.S. – Ukraine talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Istanbul to participate in the Russia-Ukraine talks. According to journalists, at 9:30 a.m. (06:30 GMT), Rubio and his delegation were welcomed at Istanbul airport by Istanbul’s Consul General Julie A. Ide and other officials.

At 10:48 a.m., Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the start of the trilateral talks between delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey.

Head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said that he, together with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, met with U.S. President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, UK Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, French President’s diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne, and German Chancellor’s advisor on foreign policy and security Günter Sauter.

“They coordinated positions ahead of the meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul. Ukraine is ready for peace and a long-lasting, unconditional ceasefire. We are also ready for meetings and negotiations at the highest level. The Ukrainian delegation is in Istanbul today to achieve an unconditional ceasefire — this is our priority,” Yermak emphasized.

He also stressed that a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Putin, who did not come to Turkey, remains an important issue.

The Turkey-U.S.-Ukraine meeting concluded at approximately 12:00 p.m.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15. Later, Zelenskyy himself confirmed his personal visit to Turkey for a meeting with Putin.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if his meeting with the Russian leader takes place on May 15 in Turkey, the main topics of discussion will be a complete ceasefire and a full exchange of prisoners of war.

On the evening of May 14, the Russian Federation announced the composition of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be present during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Turkey on May 15.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will send a delegation to talks with Russia in Istanbul. It will be headed by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.