ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of Moscow’s 2022 invasion ended Friday after less than two hours, and a senior Ukrainian official said the Russian side introduced new “unacceptable demands.”
Before they adjourned, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations, in what would be their biggest such swap since the war began.
Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state, according to chief Ukrainian delegate Rustem Umerov.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow’s delegation, said both sides agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals and a meeting by their heads of state..
During the talks, a senior Ukrainian official said Russia introduced new “unacceptable demands” to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge swaths of territory. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make official statements.
He said the Ukrainian side reiterated it remained focused on achieving real progress — an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy, “just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed,” the official added.
The two sides sat at a U-shaped table but remained far apart in their conditions for ending the war. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pressed both Moscow and Kyiv for an end to the conflict, saying a meeting between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin would happen “as soon as we can set it up.”
“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.
In Istanbul, a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov sat opposite a low-level Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, who published a photo of the meeting.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had opened the session by urging the parties “to take advantage of this opportunity,” adding that it was “critically important that the ceasefire happens as soon as possible.”
Both countries engaged in diplomatic maneuvering this week as they tried to show Trump that they are eager to negotiate, although he has expressed frustration over the slow progress and threatened to punish foot-dragging.
On Thursday, Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level delegation.
Ukraine has accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a full, 30-day ceasefire, but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Commenting on a possible Trump-Putin meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit is building. He told reporters that top-level talks were “certainly needed,” but added that preparing a summit would take time.
Meantime, Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.
A Friday morning drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and wounded four men, Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said. All the victims worked for a municipal utility.
Russia’s invasion has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, the U.N. says, and razed towns and villages. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died, and likely a larger number of Russian troops, officials and analysts say.
On the battlefield, one Ukrainian soldier said he wasn’t hopeful that the talks would bring a swift end to the war.
“I don’t think they will agree on anything concrete, because summer is the best time for war,” he said, using only the call sign “Corsair,” in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military. “The enemy is trying to constantly escalate the situation.”
Before the talks began, Ukrainian officials met with national security advisers from the U.S., France, Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions, a senior Ukrainian official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters.
The U.S. team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine, the official said.
A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg.
He said he believed a breakthrough was only possible is a meeting between Trump and Putin.
Zelenskyy, meantime, was in Tirana, Albania, for a meeting with leaders of 47 European countries to discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war.
“If the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to (a) ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step, then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. “If that’s not the case, there must be at least some result today, starting with a ceasefire.”
