Russia, Ukraine agree on large-scale POW swap, further talks in Istanbul

ISTANBUL -- Delegations of Russia and Ukraine concluded their meeting in Türkiye's Istanbul on Friday, agreeing to hold a new round of negotiations and have a large-scale prisoner exchange.

As a key outcome of the two-hour talks, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side.

According to Russian diplomatic sources, Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky said the swap would take place soon. He also expressed overall satisfaction with the meeting and confirmed that Russia is ready to continue the dialogue.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who chairs the talks, said on the social media platform X that the two sides "reached a principled agreement to meet again."

Medinsky noted that both sides will soon present their detailed views on a possible ceasefire, after which the negotiations will move forward.

He also said that Ukraine proposed direct talks between the two presidents, and that Russia "took note" of the request.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, quoted by the state-run Anadolu Agency, said both sides focused on three key topics: a ceasefire, the prisoner exchange, and the possibility of a future presidential summit.

Umerov described the agreement on the prisoner swap as "the largest exchange since the beginning of the war."

The Istanbul talks follow a proposal by Putin on Sunday to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine. Zelensky has previously said he is open to a face-to-face meeting with Putin. However, the Kremlin said Putin would not attend the talks.

The last direct talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul in March 2022, where the two sides failed to agree to halt the fighting.