Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks End after Less Than 2 Hours with Deal to Swap Pows but No Ceasefire
Sputnik Pool Photo via AP
Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks at the Dolmabache palace, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, May 16, 2025
ISTANBUL (AP) — The first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks since the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion ended after less than two hours Friday, and while both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.
One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. The Kremlin has pushed back against such a truce, which remains elusive.
'We haven't received a Russian 'yes' on this basic point,' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhii said after the talks. 'If you want to have serious negotiations, you have to have guns silenced.'
But Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky pronounced himself 'satisfied with the outcome,' adding that Moscow was ready to continue contacts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed the talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the U.K. and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania, he urged 'tough sanctions' against Moscow if it rejects 'a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings.'
In Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations, in what would be their biggest such swap.
Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state, according to chief Ukrainian delegate, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said both sides agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals, with Ukraine requesting the heads of state meeting, which Russia took under consideration.
'The pressure on the Russian Federation must continue,' said Serhii Kyslytsia, Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister and part of Kyiv's delegation. 'We should not really relax at this point.'
New, 'unacceptable conditions'
During the talks, a senior Ukrainian official said Russia introduced new, 'unacceptable demands' to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge swaths of territory. The official, who was not authorized to make official statements, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The proposal had not been previously discussed, the official said.
The Ukrainian side reiterated it was focused on achieving real progress — an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy — 'just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed,' the official added.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Tykhii confirmed the Russian delegation 'voiced a number of things that we deem unacceptable,' but added: 'This is something that Russians usually voice, and we were keeping to our line.'
The two sides sat opposite each other at a U-shaped table in the Dolmabahce Palace but remained far apart in their conditions for ending the war. Trump, who has pressed for an end to the conflict, said he would meet with Putin 'as soon as we can set it up.'
'I think it's time for us to just do it,' Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the talks by urging participants 'to take advantage of this opportunity,' adding it was 'critically important that the ceasefire happens as soon as possible.'
In a social media post, Fidan called the POW swap as a 'confidence-building measure' and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.
Zelenskyy seeks European unity
Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, with leaders of 47 European countries to discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
'Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,' Zelenskyy said on X, posting a photo of the leaders during the call, the second for the group since May 10.
Speaking to reporters after the call with Trump, Starmer said the Russian position 'is clearly unacceptable.'
While he didn't say what the Europeans' response might involve, some of them pressed for new sanctions, with the European Union likely to adopt new measures as soon as Tuesday.
Macron said it was 'unacceptable that, for a second time, Russia hasn't responded to the demands made by the Americans, supported by Ukraine and the Europeans. No ceasefire, and therefore no meeting at a decision-making level. And no response.'
Merz said diplomatic efforts so far 'have unfortunately failed because of Russia's lack of readiness to take the first steps in the right direction now.'
'But we will not give up,' he added. All three said Kyiv and its allies in Europe will continue to coordinate their efforts.
Diplomatic maneuvering
Both countries engaged in diplomatic maneuvering this week as they tried to show Trump that they are eager to negotiate, although he expressed frustration with the slow progress and threatened to punish foot-dragging.
On Thursday, Putin spurned an offer by Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level delegation.
Ukraine has accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a full, 30-day ceasefire, but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Commenting on a possible Trump-Putin meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit is building. He told reporters that top-level talks were 'certainly needed,' but added that preparing a summit would take time.
Fighting continues in Ukraine
Russia, meanwhile, is preparing a fresh military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in Minsk to discuss joint military drills in September and deliveries of new weapons to Belarus. Zelenskyy has warned that the military buildup in Belarus, which borders NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, could serve as a cover for future attacks.
A Friday drone attack on the northeastern city of Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and wounded four men, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration..
Russia's invasion has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, the U.N. says, and razed towns and villages. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died, and likely a larger number of Russian troops, officials and analysts say.
One Ukrainian soldier told AP he wasn't hopeful about the talks.
'I don't think they will agree on anything concrete, because summer is the best time for war,' said the soldier, who used the call sign 'Corsair' in accordance with Ukrainian military rules. 'The enemy is trying to constantly escalate the situation.'
But he said many of his comrades 'believe that by the end of the year there will be peace, albeit an unstable one, but peace.'
Before the talks, Ukrainian officials met with national security advisers from the U.S., France, Germany and the U.K. to coordinate positions, the senior Ukrainian official told AP. The U.S. team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine, the official said.
A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg.
On Thursday, Rubio said he believed a breakthrough was only possible is a meeting between Trump and Putin.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
The U.S. Granted These Journalists Asylum. Then It Fired Them.
Aristide Economopoulos/For The Washington Post Leonid Martynyuk is a Russian journalist who was working for Voice of America but was recently fired in the Trump administration's cuts at the government-funded news operation. Martynyuk came to the United States in 2014 and was later granted asylum. When Leonid Martynyuk got off the train from Sochi to Krasnodar in southern Russia in the summer of 2014, a strange man bumped into him. The man started yelling, refusing to leave, egging on a fight. He claimed Martynyuk pushed him – not the other way around. Martynyuk's soon-to-be-wife, Ekaterina, motioned to police officers, pleading to intervene and defuse the hostile situation. But when the police arrived, they were only interested in interrogating Martynyuk – not the other man, who was released without questioning. 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Japan Today
3 hours ago
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Islamic State reactivating fighters, eying comeback in Syria and Iraq
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In Iraq, aerial surveillance and intelligence sources on the ground have picked up increased IS activity in the northern Hamrin Mountains, a longtime refuge, and along key roads, Ali al-Saidi, an advisor to Iraqi security forces, told Reuters. Iraqi officials believe IS seized large stockpiles of weapons left behind by Assad's forces and worry some could be smuggled into Iraq. Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad was in contact with Damascus about IS, which he told Reuters in January was growing and spreading into more areas. "We hope that Syria, in the first place, will be stable, and Syria will not be a place for terrorists," he said, 'especially ISIS terrorists." © Thomson Reuters 2025.
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- The Mainichi
South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts along border with rival North in a move to ease tensions
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts "to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula." Kang Yu-jung, Lee's spokesperson, described the decision as a "proactive step" to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Korea's retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didn't immediately comment on the step by Seoul. South Korea reactivated its front-line loudspeakers to blast propaganda messages and K-pop songs toward the North last year in response to thousands of trash balloons that Pyongyang flew toward South Korea to drop substances including wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. From May to November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate occasions, according to the South's military. The North said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas. Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said that the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt. The South's broadcast playlist was clearly designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kim's government has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his family's dynastic rule. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fueled by North Korea's growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and strengthen three-way security cooperation with Japan. Efforts to improve relations Lee, an outspoken liberal who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon's hard-line policies and shunned dialogue. During his election campaign, Lee promised to halt the loudspeaker broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for South Korean residents in border towns. In recent months, those residents had complained about North Korea's retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. On Thursday morning, South Korea's military said North Korean broadcasts weren't heard in South Korean frontline areas, but it wasn't clear if the North has formally halted its own broadcasts. In a briefing on Monday, South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, also called for South Korean civilian activists to stop flying anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities "could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas," said Koo Byoungsam, the ministry's spokesperson. In his inaugural address last week, Lee vowed to reopen communication channels with North Korea. But prospects for an early resumption of dialogue between the rival Koreas remain dim. North Korea has consistently rejected offers from South Korea and the United States since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disagreements. The North's nuclear threats remain North Korea's priority in foreign policy is now firmly with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine. South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed concern that Kim in return could seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear weapons and missile program. Yoon, who was removed from office in April over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, had focused on strengthening military partnerships with Washington and Tokyo and on securing stronger U.S. assurances of a swift and decisive nuclear response to defend the South against a North Korean nuclear attack. In a fierce reaction to Yoon's policies, Kim declared in January 2024 that he was abandoning the long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with the South and instructed the rewriting of the North's constitution to cement the South as a permanent "principal enemy." Following years of heightened testing activity, Kim has acquired a broad range of missiles that could potentially target rivals in Asia and the U.S. mainland. He has also called for increased production of nuclear materials to create more bombs. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that the U.N. nuclear watchdog is monitoring signs that North Korea may be building a new uranium-enrichment plant at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon.
