Europe EditionRussia and Ukraine Agree to Large-Scale Prisoner Swap, Core Disputes Remain Unresolved
- On May 16, 2025, Russia and Ukraine held direct peace talks in Istanbul, agreeing on a prisoner exchange of 1,000 prisoners each but failing to agree on a ceasefire or key war-ending conditions.
- The talks followed sustained diplomatic pressure from the U.S., Europe, and Turkey, while Russia introduced new demands for Ukrainian troop withdrawals considered unacceptable by Ukraine.
- Both sides agreed to exchange detailed ceasefire proposals and discussed a possible meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin, though Russia only took this meeting request under consideration.
- Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky expressed satisfaction and readiness to continue contacts, while Ukrainian officials emphasized their focus on an immediate ceasefire and substantive diplomacy.
- Despite the prisoner swap deal, the conflict continues with ongoing fighting, over 12,000 civilian deaths, and little progress toward peace, indicating a fragile and unresolved situation.
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584 Articles
The meeting between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul did not bring a ceasefire. Under what conditions can there be real negotiations of the sides and when could it be?
Activist Post
TheAltWorldThe Istanbul kabuki – decoded
The endgame is clear: the US losing the entire Eurasian land mass. Ukraine, under these immense geopolitical imperatives, is only a sovereign-deprived pawn in the (Great) Game. Did President Putin really change the game by proposing the resumption of negotiations on the proxy war in Ukraine in Istanbul – over three years after the first ones were scotched by NATO? It’s complicated. And depends on which “game” we’re talking about. What the Russia…
After the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, it is open whether they will continue. Concrete plans for further meetings were not mentioned by the representatives of the conflict parties. Our correspondent Christoph Wanner reports from Kiev.
Erdogan sits Russians and Ukrainians after years: agreement far away, but the table holds. Despite Von der Leyen and Kallas screaming at Putin. Then Macron, Merz, Starmer and Tusk see Zelensky and try to air Trump.Russian's satisfactions. Kiev: "Some unacceptable proposals, but important results" . It evaluates the face to face Zelensky-Putin.The special contains two articles.
Herald Bulletin
Ukraine-Russia political theatrics underscore stark realities on the ground as war grinds on
Ukrainian officials and analysts say Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has few options but to draw U.S. President Donald Trump’s ire against Vladimir Putin, while depending on Europe’s support. Ukraine’s strategy since U.S.-brokered peace talks were launched is to convince the…
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine spoke face to face in Istanbul, in the first direct dialogues in more than three years.
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