Russia-Ukraine talks conclude
Talks between Russia and Ukraine have concluded in Istanbul, Türkiye, sources have told Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti.
Ukrainian and Russian officials have yet to issue public statements regarding the first round of talks in three years between the two nations, aimed at resolving the conflict and finding a lasting peace.
An unnamed member of the Ukrainian delegation told Novyny LIVE that 'this is a pause, not the end — the talks may yet continue.'
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Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine backing away from key peace deal pledge – what we know so far
Ukraine has 'unexpectedly postponed' a prisoner exchange with Russia that was among the key outcomes of negotiations held on Monday in Istanbul, Moscow's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, has said. He also stated that Kiev had refused to accept hundreds of bodies of its fallen the talks in Türkiye earlier this week, the two delegations agreed to exchange at least 1,000 prisoners, prioritizing those heavily wounded and those under 25. On top of that, Russia unilaterally offered to repatriate the remains of over 6,000 slain Ukrainian military personnel as a humanitarian Saturday, Medinsky said that Moscow had provided Kiev with a list of 640 heavily wounded and younger prisoners. However, 'the Ukrainian side unexpectedly postponed… the exchange of prisoners of war for an indefinite period,' the official stated, adding that the Ukrainian team 'did not even arrive at the exchange site.' According to Medinsky, Ukraine gave 'various and rather strange' pretexts for this. The official called on 'Kiev to strictly adhere to the schedule and all agreements that had been reached and to immediately begin the exchange,' stressing that the Russian team is on site and 'fully ready to work.'Russia's top negotiator revealed that Ukraine also refused to accept the bodies of its fallen troops, even though the 'first batch of frozen remains of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers has already arrived in refrigerated trucks at the exchange area.' Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Zorin of the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the bodies of Ukrainian servicemen could be transferred to Ukraine as early as next week. He noted that, in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, Moscow delivered 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian personnel to the designated exchange area. 'This is the first batch, the first part,' the general emphasized. Zorin previously said that Moscow had four other convoys, each carrying 1,200 sets of remains, ready for transfer as well. Ukrainian officials have confirmed that the exchange of prisoners and the repatriation of fallen soldiers has been postponed until next a statement on Saturday, Kiev's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that 'instead of a constructive dialogue, we are once again faced with manipulation and attempts to use sensitive humanitarian topics for informational purposes.' Ukrainian authorities further insisted that Russian allegations 'do not correspond to reality or to previous agreements – neither regarding the prisoner exchange nor the repatriation of bodies.' The headquarters claimed that Ukraine had submitted its lists of prisoners to be exchanged, but Russia presented 'alternative lists,' which were not previously agreed upon. It also suggested that while an agreement on the repatriation had indeed been reached, no date had been set, with Moscow undertaking 'unilateral steps.'On Wednesday, Medinsky announced that Russia was ready to begin the swap on June 7, 8, and 9, and that this 'would again become the largest prisoner exchange.' Following the first round of direct talks in Istanbul last month, Moscow and Kiev conducted a massive prisoner swap. Earlier this week, the Russian official also expressed readiness to accept any remains of fallen Russian troops that Ukraine may be holding. Additionally, Moscow offered during the talks to establish temporary humanitarian pauses in specific areas of the battlefield, lasting two to three days, so that both sides could gather the remains of their soldiers. Medinsky said Kiev's negotiators initially supported the idea, only for Vladimir Zelensky to publicly reject the proposal shortly thereafter. According to the Russian presidential aide, the two belligerents had agreed to establish special medical commissions to help create exchange lists for severely injured soldiers 'without the need to wait for big political decisions.' The swaps would be held regularly 'in a routine manner,' Medinsky announced at the Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti that Ukraine's refusal to accept the bodies of its own dead shows that the 'Kiev regime does not care about its own citizens, either alive or dead.' Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Kiev is too 'scared' to admit the figure of 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers, and that it 'doesn't want to pay the widows.' Speaking to RT, Russian MP Dmitry Belik described Kiev's actions as 'beyond the pale… barbarity [and] absolutely inhumane behavior, whatever flimsy reasons Kiev is giving.' The lawmaker suggested that Ukrainian authorities could be refusing to accept the return of fallen troops to avoid paying compensation to their relatives. State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky echoed this sentiment, saying that 'such behavior is [an example] of rare cynicism,' showing total disregard for the memory of Ukraine's own fallen two rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine, held on May 16 and June 2, respectively, were the first since the spring of 2022, when Kiev unilaterally pulled out. David Arakhamia, the head of the Ukrainian delegation at the time, later stated that the decision was made following a visit to Kiev by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who he said had advised the Ukrainian government not to sign anything and 'just fight.' Johnson has rejected that account. During the latest round of talks earlier this month, Russia and Ukraine exchanged draft memorandums outlining a roadmap toward an eventual peace deal and indicated a willingness to continue direct contacts.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine complains about global Russia Day congratulations
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has criticized countries that sent congratulatory messages to Russia on its national holiday. He voiced his displeasure after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended greetings to Moscow on Russia Day, a public holiday celebrated on June 12. 'As a minister of a country at war, I found it especially unpleasant to read this morning that some countries were publicly congratulating Russia on its national holiday,' Sibiga said at the Weimar+ summit in Rome on Thursday. 'There can be no reward for an aggressor state. I have a moral right to say this,' he added. In a statement published on the State Department's website, Rubio said the US 'remains committed to supporting the Russian people as they continue to build on their aspirations for a brighter future.' He reaffirmed that Washington is seeking 'constructive engagement with the Russian Federation to bring about a durable peace between Russia and Ukraine.'Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the message as 'positive news,' noting a shift from the more hostile policies of former President Joe Biden. The US suspended nearly all contact with Russia in 2022 following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict and imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. Under President Donald Trump, however, the two sides resumed direct negotiations and agreed to gradually normalize relations. Countries including India, Oman, and Kazakhstan also issued congratulatory statements on Russia Day. 'Our special and privileged strategic partnership continues to serve the interests of our peoples,' Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a message to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine didn't exist in 12th century, Russia's Medinsky tells NATO boss
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte should have paid closer attention in history class, because he apparently does not know that Ukraine did not exist in the 12th century, Vladimir Medinsky, Russian presidential aide and Moscow's top negotiator at the talks with Kiev, has said. Rutte on Monday accused Moscow of stalling peace talks with Kiev while insisting that Russia should drastically revamp the line-up of its delegation that has held two rounds of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. 'To end this war, we need [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to come to the negotiating table, and not with this historian.., telling us about the history of Russia and Ukraine from whatever the 12th century,' he said at the time, referring to Medinsky. Speaking at the International Forum of Ministers of Education in Kazan on Monday, Medinsky fired back at Rutte. 'I know that Mr. Rutte studied history at university, but I would definitely send him a previous school history textbook on the Middle Ages, because from it he would surely learn that Ukraine did not exist in the 12th century,' Medinsky noted. He added, 'If Vladimir II Monomakh, the Grand Prince of Rostov, Smolensk, and Kiev, were told that he lived in Ukraine, he would probably be surprised and might even be offended,' he quipped. Medinsky, who used to hold the post of Culture Minister, is also known for co-authoring a new series of history textbooks introduced in Russian schools. He is also personally leading an extensive online course on Russian history. Back in the 12th century, the territory of modern Ukraine was part of Kievan Rus', a loose feudal entity combining several East Slavic principalities and ruled by the Rurikid dynasty. The term 'Ukraine' did originate in the late 12th century, but it did not refer to a sovereign state or principality. Instead, it was used as a geographic descriptor, meaning 'borderland.' The notion of Ukraine as a distinct political and cultural entity started to emerge only in the 17th century.
