The first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks since the early weeks of Moscow’s 2022 invasion ended after less than two hours on Friday, and while both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed the results of the talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania, he urged “tough sanctions” against Moscow if it rejects “a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings”.
At the brief Istanbul talks, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations, in what would be their biggest such swap.
Before the talks, Ukrainian officials met with national security advisers from the US, France, Germany and the UK to coordinate positions, the senior Ukrainian official told AP. The US team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine, the official said.
A three-way meeting between Turkey, the US and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The US side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg.
On Thursday, Rubio said “we don’t have high expectations of what will happen” at the Russia-Ukraine talks.
He said he believed a breakthrough was only possible in a meeting between Trump and Putin.
