Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners each during a brief third round of peace talks in Istanbul on Wednesday, marking the first inclusion of civilians in such swaps.
Despite this humanitarian step, both sides confirmed no progress toward ending the war, with Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky stating positions remain “quite apart.”
The new prisoner agreement doubles the scale of May’s 1,000-for-1,000 exchange. Medinsky disclosed Russia has repatriated 7,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers and will return 3,000 more, while seeking recovery of Russian war dead from Ukraine. Moscow also committed to returning 339 Ukrainian children after verifying guardianship, with some already transferred. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the return of “seriously ill and severely wounded defenders,” vowing to continue repatriation efforts.
Beyond prisoner exchanges, diplomatic divisions deepened. Ukraine proposed a summit by August’s end involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Russia rejected this, insisting any Vladimir Putin-Zelensky meeting must sign pre-negotiated accords rather than restart discussions. Moscow instead suggested three online working groups (political, humanitarian, military) for regular dialogue, which Kyiv will study. Russia additionally urged 24–48-hour local ceasefires for evacuations.
Core disagreements remain entrenched. Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality, non-NATO status, and recognition of annexed Crimea and eastern territories. Ukraine’s peace blueprint asserts its right to pursue EU and NATO integration, calling Moscow’s terms “absolutely contradictory.” External pressures intensified hours post-talks as the U.S. approved $322 million in new air defense and armored vehicle sales to Ukraine a move Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko condemned as “prolonging conflict.”
