Kyiv demands full ceasefire, Moscow pushes “lasting peace” amid deep divides
A second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, held in Istanbul, Turkey, has ended without a major breakthrough. The only agreement reached was on a limited exchange of prisoners of war, with both sides pledging to swap all sick and heavily wounded captives, as well as those under 25.
Ukraine’s negotiating team, led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, accused Russia of rejecting its key demand for an “unconditional ceasefire” across land, sea, and air for at least 30 days. Kyiv said it had submitted a ceasefire proposal days before the talks, but Russia only presented its plan during the session.
Russia’s delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, offered a limited truce in unspecified areas of the front line for two to three days. Medinsky also confirmed that Russia would return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv next week.
No timeline was given for the agreed prisoner exchange.
Deep Divisions Persist
The talks, lasting just over an hour, highlighted the ongoing rift between both sides. Moscow insists on Ukraine’s withdrawal from its four partly occupied regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Russia also demands Kyiv’s demilitarisation, a ban on NATO membership, Russian as an official language, and an end to sanctions.
Kyiv and its Western allies have firmly rejected these demands, calling them tantamount to Ukraine’s de facto surrender.
Ukrainian officials also presented a list of hundreds of children allegedly deported to Russia, demanding their return.
Next Steps Unclear
Umerov said Ukraine expects Russia’s formal response to its ceasefire proposals by the end of June and called for a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, no concrete plans have been made for such talks.
In Vilnius, where he was attending a summit, Zelensky said, “While there are no meaningful signals from Russia to end the war, it is important to strengthen our defence.” He also urged for more sanctions pressure on Russia.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has continued to advocate for a quick settlement but has delayed imposing tougher sanctions on Moscow. Trump, who previously called Putin “absolutely crazy” after a wave of Russian drone and missile attacks, has been criticised for what some see as a soft stance on Russia.
With no major progress from the peace talks, the war—now in its third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022—grinds on, with Moscow still controlling around 20% of Ukrainian territory.
