Istanbul talks address prisoner exchange and ceasefire – Ukraine's defence minister

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has said that during the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations discussed the possibility of a large-scale exchange of prisoners in the thousand-for-thousand format.

Source: Rustem Umierov’s statement after talks in Istanbul, Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti 

Details: In addition, the parties raised the issue of a ceasefire and the preparation of a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.

Quote: "The agenda that has been given to our host and our partners was to discuss, first, the ceasefire and second one is the humanitarian track, the exchanges, and third is a potential meeting on the [state] leaders’ level. As a result, we’ve agreed to exchange thousand-for-thousand. We are working on other modalities of the exchange."

Details: Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation and Putin's aide, confirmed the agreement on a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

Quote from Medinsky: "In the coming days, a large-scale exchange of prisoners will take place – a thousand for a thousand."

Details: The parties also discussed the ceasefire and preparations for a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.

Background:

• Peace talks between delegations from Ukraine and the Russian Federation are continuing in Istanbul, Türkiye. The Russians have put forward a number of unacceptable conditions.
• Sky News has reported, citing a source in Ukrainian diplomatic circles, that Russia put forward demands that are unrealistic and go far beyond what was previously discussed.
• The source said that Russia's demands include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from its own territories before a ceasefire can be declared.
• The source also noted that there were other unacceptable demands.
• Earlier it became known that for the first time in more than three years, direct talks between Russia and Ukraine had begun in Istanbul.
• It was reported that Russia had sent a low-level delegation led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky to the talks in Türkiye.
• The media also reported that the Russian delegation in Istanbul demanded that US representatives not be present at the talks with the Ukrainian side.

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