Following discussions in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to continue negotiations, according to Hakan Fidan.
According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Moscow and Kyiv have, in principle, agreed to hold further negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Fidan participated in the Istanbul talks as an observer.
The announcement comes after Türkiye hosted the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in three years on Friday.
“The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have reached an agreement in principle to hold another meeting,” Fidan stated on X.
Fidan also reported that the parties have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, which would be the largest exchange since the conflict’s escalation in 2022. Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, and Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian Defence Minister, have confirmed this agreement.
He added that both sides have also agreed to share written proposals outlining conditions for a possible ceasefire.
These talks were prompted by a surprise invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin last Sunday, who suggested restarting negotiations to resolve the conflict.
While there is no fixed schedule for the exchange of ceasefire proposals, a fundamental agreement to do so has been reached, a TASS source reported.
Türkiye has consistently acted as a neutral mediator, utilizing its diplomatic ties with both Russia and Ukraine to facilitate discussion.
In 2022, Medinsky’s team negotiated a potential peace agreement that would have provided Russian security guarantees to Kiev in exchange for neutrality and limits on its standing army. However, Kiev withdrew from the negotiations at the last minute. David Arakhamia, who led the Ukrainian delegation, later revealed that then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Kiev to “just fight,” which led to the continuation of hostilities, despite prior approval of a draft treaty.
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