Istanbul (TDI): The Russian and the Ukrainian delegations have agreed to exchange another batch of prisoners of war, and the dead bodies of 12000 soldiers during their brief second round of talks, held in Istanbul, on Monday.
However, there was no breakthrough regarding a possible ceasefire between the two countries, despite continued efforts from the US and European countries. Moscow has stated that it is seeking a long-term settlement instead of a brief pause in war, while Ukraine noted that Putin is not interested in ending the war and maintaining peace.
Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegations during the talks, said that their team has handed over a detailed draft memorandum to Ukraine, outlining Russia’s terms and conditions for a full ceasefire, as well as proposed a “specific ceasefire of two to three days in certain sections of the front” to exchange the dead bodies of the soldiers. During this exchange, each side would hand over 6000 dead soldiers.
I briefed the President of Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa on today’s meeting with the Russian side in Istanbul.
Upon returning to Kyiv, I will also present the Russian proposals — which they shared only today, directly during the negotiations.
The Ukrainian side acted clearly and… pic.twitter.com/MYuw15BPQw
— Rustem Umerov (@rustem_umerov) June 2, 2025
Similar to the first round of talks, this meeting also failed to bring any long-term possible solution to end the war.
The Defense Minister of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, headed the Ukrainian delegation during the meeting. He stated that both sides have agreed to exchange the young and the severely injured prisoners during the upcoming exchange.
He expressed willingness to hold more talks before the end of June and also said that real progress on ending the war can only be made in a direct meeting between the Russian and the Ukrainian Presidents.
Moreover, Andriy Yermak, the Chief of Staff of Ukraine urged Russia to hand over the children who were earlier deported to Russia. Vladimir Medinsky responded to the request by stating that the 339 children, who were mentioned in Ukraine’s list, had been “saved” from the fighting, not stolen.
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Right before the talks, Ukraine had launched its most ambitious drone attack, targeting Russia’s nuclear-capable long-range bomber missiles held in Serbia, a move which had visibly heightened tensions during the talks, while some also feared a strong retaliation by Russia.
On the other hand, Russia too killed at least five people in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, while injuring six people in the northeast region of Sumy, including two children, after it conducted drone strikes.
Earlier, Ukraine had announced to hand over a proposed roadmap to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, which included the conditions of a 30-day full ceasefire, exchange of all prisoners of war, return of Ukrainian children, and a face-to-face meeting with the Russian President.
Both sides had expressed a keen interest in the continued engagement of the US President, Donald Trump, in the peace process.
Commenting on the talks, the Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, said that the meeting between the two delegations was great. He also hoped that the Russian and the Ukrainian Presidents, along with President Trump would agree to meet in Istanbul for much-needed direct talks.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
