Russia and Ukraine Hold Direct Talks for First Time in Over 3 Years

Leaders from Russia and Ukraine met Friday in Istanbul for the first direct talks since March 2022.  

The talks lasted less than two hours, and while no clear results towards peace were reached, the two nations did agree to a large prisoner swap.  

In an equal exchange, 1,000 prisoners of war will be exchanged on each side, according to Vladimir Medinsky, a top Kremlin aide.

Medinsky acknowledged that Ukraine has requested direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian leadership but did not confirm if Russian President Vladimir Putin would agree to such a request. Medinsky added that each delegation did agree for each side to present a ceasefire plan in detail and that talks will continue.  

A source with knowledge of the talks told CNN that Russia is “not ready to decide anything meaningful to end the war.” 

Putin proposed the direct peace talks but chose not to attend the meeting in Istanbul. President Donald Trump encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with Putin after the Russian leader suggested the talks and Zelenskyy flew to Turkey, but ultimately did not attend the meeting.  

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation and Medinsky led the Russian delegation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present for the talks but acknowledged beforehand that he did not expect a breakthrough without key leaders in the room.  

“We’ll see what happens with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said Friday after arriving in the United Arab Emirates, adding, “we gotta stop the killing.”  

Trump says he will meet with Putin “as soon as we can set it up.” The president said he was going to go directly from the UAE to Russia but wants to see his new grandson, Alexander Trump Boulos, born to Tiffany Trump, and her husband, Michael Boulos, Thursday.   

Pope Leo XIV has offered to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in hopes of bringing the current conflict that began more than three years ago to an end.  

“The pope plans to make the Vatican, the Holy See, available for a direct meeting between the two sides,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a top diplomat for the government of the Catholic Church, told reporters Friday.  

“This is all tragic because we hoped that it would be a, maybe slow, process, but with a peaceful solution to the conflict, and instead we are back at the beginning,” Parolin said. “Now we will see what to do, but the situation is difficult.” 

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