Ukraine and Russia have reached a new agreement to conduct a large-scale prisoner exchange, swapping hundreds of severely wounded soldiers and all captured fighters under the age of 25.
However, talks held in Istanbul on Monday failed to yield any progress on a broader ceasefire.
At the second round of direct negotiations since early in the war, Ukrainian officials said Russia dismissed calls for an unconditional ceasefire.
Instead, Moscow proposed a limited truce lasting two to three days in certain frontline areas to allow for the retrieval of fallen soldiers.
“We agreed to exchange all-for-all seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war. The second category is young soldiers who are from 18 to 25 years old — all-for-all,” Ukraine’s lead negotiator and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told reporters in Istanbul.
Russia’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said it would involve “at least 1,000” on each side — topping the 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange agreed at talks last month.
In addition to the prisoner deal, both nations also agreed to repatriate the bodies of approximately 6,000 soldiers killed in the conflict.
But Russia’s Medinsky said Moscow would hand 6,000 killed Ukrainian soldiers over unilaterally, adding that he did not know “if they have any bodies on their side”, but that Russia would take them, if so.
Moscow does not disclose how many of its soldiers have been killed, closely guarding any information on the huge losses sustained during its three-year invasion.
Despite the agreements, there was no breakthrough toward ending the broader conflict.
“The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,” Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters after the talks.
“We have proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain areas of the front line,” Medinsky noted.
The talks were held at Istanbul’s historic Ciragan Palace, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urging both sides to make progress under international scrutiny.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later proposed hosting a potential summit involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and United States President Donald Trump, who has been encouraging both sides to pursue peace.
Following the talks, Ukraine acknowledged receipt of a Russian document outlining demands for a potential peace deal and full ceasefire. Kyiv officials said they would review the proposals but reaffirmed their rejection of any agreement that might be seen as rewarding Russian aggression.
President Zelensky, speaking in Vilnius alongside NATO leaders, reiterated that any settlement must not grant concessions to Putin.
He warned that accepting Moscow’s terms such as ceding territory, banning NATO membership, and ending Western support would legitimise the invasion.
Since the war began, tens of thousands have died, and millions have been displaced across Europe in what has become the continent’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. Entire regions in eastern and southern Ukraine have been devastated.
On the battlefield, Ukraine recently claimed responsibility for a major drone operation that damaged dozens of Russian bombers inside Russia, with estimated losses reportedly reaching $7bn.
Despite such operations, Ukrainian forces continue to face pressure, with Russian troops advancing in multiple areas.
