Ukraine calls for Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as ‘next step’
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov says his country’s third objective is to hold “high-level discussions”.
I think the next step would be that [a] leaders level meeting should be organised. That would be our next step.
He reiterates that “Ukraine wants peace”.
Key events
Ukraine says Russian delegation voiced ‘a number of unacceptable things’ during talks
Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi says the Russian delegation “voiced a number of things which we deem unacceptable” during talks in Istanbul.
He says Ukrainian officials handled it “in a calm manner” and outlined their positions. “We remained calm,” he tells reporters.
Ukraine calls for Zelenskyy-Putin meeting as ‘next step’
Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov says his country’s third objective is to hold “high-level discussions”.
I think the next step would be that [a] leaders level meeting should be organised. That would be our next step.
He reiterates that “Ukraine wants peace”.
Ukraine’s defence minister says priority in talks was ‘people’
Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov, has been speaking to reporters following talks with Russia in Istanbul.
The Ukrainian delegation’s first priority in the talks was “people”, Umerov says, and both sides reached an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each.
He describes it as an “important achievement” that “shows that we are focused to finalise this war.”
Ukraine’s second objective was to discuss a ceasefire, Umerov says, and both sides “exchanged some modalities” and teams are now working on “exchanging the details”.
Russia says it is ‘satisfied’ after Ukraine talks end after just two hours
Ruth Michaelson
Despite the considerable fanfare, talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegation lasted under two hours.
A Ukrainian source speaking to Reuters described Russian demands as “non-starters,” while another speaking to the Associated Press accused the Kremlin of introducing “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from swaths of territory.
However, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov told reporters that the meeting did produce the largest prisoner swap deal of the war, where both sides will exchange 1000 prisoners. Talks focused primarily on a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange and a possible presidential meeting, he added.
The head of Russia’s delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said his side was “generally satisfied,” with the meeting according to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu. Both sides agreed to present their vision of a ceasefire, he said, after which talks can continue.
Moscow has “taken note” of the Ukrainian request for Russian president Vladimir Putin to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he added.
Medinsky told reporters yesterday that Moscow saw today’s talks as a continuation of failed talks in 2022, amid criticism from the Ukrainian side that the delegation dispatched by Putin wasn’t tasked with producing serious negotiations.
Zelensky, at a conference in Albania, said:
Russia sent almost the same people it sent in 2022. They show that Russia has not changed its basic approach … They are doing everything they can to turn this Istanbul meeting into a staged, empty process.
Rowena Mason
Keir Starmer joined the leaders of France, Germany and Poland on a phone call to Donald Trump to discuss Ukraine, and said the countries are planning to “closely align” a response after finding Russia’s position unacceptable.
Speaking to reporters in Tirana in Albania, the prime minister said:
We just had a meeting with President Zelensky and then a phone call with President Trump to discuss the developments in the negotiations today. And the Russian position is clearly unacceptable, and not for the first time.
So as a result of that meeting with President Zelensky and that call with President Trump we are now closely aligning our responses and will continue to do so.
His comments suggest there will be a concerted move by some western leaders to intensify sanctions if the Kremlin does not agree to a ceasefire, with Russian energy likely to be a target.
Here are some images from the newswires from Istanbul, where Russian and Ukrainian officials met for the first direct peace talks in more than three years but with little hope for any meaningful breakthrough.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree ‘in principle’ to meet again, says Turkey
Turkey’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired today’s talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul, said Friday’s meeting was an “important day for world peace”.
In a statement posted to X, Fidan said both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each as a “confidence-building measure”.
Russian and Ukrainian officials also agreed to “share with the other side in writing the conditions that would make it possible to reach a ceasefire,” he wrote, adding:
The parties also agreed in principle to meet again.
He added that Turkey will continue to “make every effort to make it possible to achieve lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
Ukraine ‘ready to take fastest possible steps to peace’, says Zelenskyy after call with Trump
Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he has spoken with Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk on Friday.
In a statement posted on social media, the Ukrainian leader wrote:
Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance.
Our position — if the Russians reject a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings, tough sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war.
Thank you to everyone in the world who is helping.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – without Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelenskyy – for the first time in more than three years, but hopes for any meaningful breakthrough are limited.
Russia’s ‘unacceptable’ stance raised with Trump, says Starmer
British prime minister Keir Starmer said on Friday that he and the leaders of France, Germany and Poland as well as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed the Russian position in peace talks was “unacceptable” and had discussed the matter with US president Donald Trump.
Speaking alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk at the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Starmer said the leaders were closely “aligning” on their response.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk held a telephone call with US president Donald Trump on Friday, the Ukrainian leader’s spokesperson said.
The spokesperson told reporters that details of the conversation would follow soon.
The phone call took place after talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations ended in Istanbul, with a Ukrainian source calling Moscow’s demands “non-starters”.
Ukraine and Russia agree large POW swap
Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, defence minister Rustem Umerov told Ukrainian TV on Friday as talks in Istanbul ended.
If the exchange goes ahead, it would be the biggest prisoner swap in more than three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia introduced new ‘unacceptable demands’ for Ukraine to withdraw forces in talks
A Ukrainian official at the talks on Friday accused the Kremlin of introducing new “unacceptable demands” for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from huge swathes of territory, according to the official.
The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make official statements.
The talks came after more than three months of diplomacy kickstarted by US president Donald Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the devastating war swiftly.
Pjotr Sauer
Russian and Ukrainian officials opened direct peace talks in Istanbul on Friday – without Vladimir Putin or Volodomyr Zelenskyy – for the first time in more than three years, but hopes for any meaningful breakthrough are limited.
Images from the meeting held at the Dolmabahce Palace were stark: a row of Russian delegates in dark suits and opposite them Ukrainians wearing their trademark green camouflage combat fatigues.
Before the meeting, the Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, addressed Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at the palace on the Bosphorus.
“There are two paths today: one leads to peace, and the other will cause more destruction and loss of life. Both sides will choose which path to take,” he told the negotiating teams.
The talks began 24 hours later than planned after a day of confusion and political theatrics.
