BREAKING

TALKS IN ISTANBUL CONCLUDED: Ukraine and Russia Will Exchange 1,000 Prisoners Each! (PHOTO)

by Antonije Kovačević17. May 2025.17. May 2025.

Ukrainian-Russian talks, mediated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, have concluded in Istanbul. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations confirmed that an agreement has been reached for the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war by each side.

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that they are satisfied with the results and that Moscow is ready to continue contacts.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, after the completion of talks in Istanbul.

This would be the largest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia in more than three years since the start of the war, Reuters recalls. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French leader Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, said the Ukrainian leader’s spokesperson.

Spoke with @POTUS together with President Macron, Federal Chancellor Merz, Prime Ministers Starmer and Tusk. We discussed the meeting in Istanbul.

Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance.… pic.twitter.com/CG3pAnN5Ip
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2025

Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps towards peace, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after speaking by phone with US President Donald Trump along with European leaders.

“Our position is that if the Russians refuse a complete and unconditional ceasefire and the cessation of killings, strict sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must continue until it is ready to end the war,” Zelenskyy stated.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired the talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, said that the meeting was an “important day for world peace.”

Fidan said that both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each as a “confidence-building measure.”

He added that Turkey will continue to “make every effort to facilitate the achievement of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.”

Source: RTS, Photo: HANDOUT / TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER PRESS OFFICE