-UPD-
The highly awaited second round of peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday ended with the two sides agreeing to a prisoner swap, including those “seriously injured or ill under the age of 18,” according to a statement by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Leading up to the meeting, which lasted around one hour, expectations of any substantive progress were very low, especially after yesterday’s bold and sophisticated drone attack by Ukraine against five airbases inside Russia, which destroyed four Tupolev strategic bombers and seriously damaged several other aircraft.
Umerov added that they also discussed a potential meeting between Zelensky and Putin, possibly also involving Trump at the end of the month.
“We are calling for real work to end this war—ceasefire, humanitarian actions, leaders’ meeting. If Russia is serious, it will agree. If not, sanctions must follow,” he said.
According to reports from the Turkish side, which is hosting the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, the meeting between the two parties has ended. The same Turkish sources suggest the outcome was “not negative” without providing any details.
It was announced today that there will be no further meetings for the time being; the delegations will immediately return to their respective countries, and no specific date has been set for the next round of negotiations.
However, according to Russian news agency TASS, the next round is expected to take place in the near future.
The two sides are said to have discussed in depth the possibility of further prisoner exchanges, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly expressing confidence that such an agreement will be reached soon.
TASS also reports that the negotiations in Istanbul have concluded. If confirmed, the second round of talks is said to have lasted no more than an hour.
Official statements are expected shortly.
