A second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has ended without any major breakthrough, with both sides reaching only a limited agreement to exchange more prisoners of war.
Ukrainian negotiators said Russia once again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire” a key demand from Kyiv and its Western allies but both parties committed to exchanging the bodies of 12,000 soldiers.
The Russian delegation proposed a two- or three-day ceasefire in “specific areas” along the front line, but did not provide further details.
The talks, held on Monday in Istanbul, Turkey, lasted just over an hour. During the meeting, both sides agreed to exchange all seriously wounded or ill prisoners of war, as well as those under the age of 25.
Expectations were already low ahead of the talks, with both sides deeply divided on how to end the war, which has been raging since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
