16-05-2025
Russia demands Ukraine withdraw its troops as talks end in acrimony
Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions annexed by Vladimir Putin as the price for a ceasefire.
Negotiators sent by the Russian president for the first direct talks in three years said they expected a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as a 'minimum'.
Russia's proposals were branded 'detached from reality' by a Ukrainian diplomatic source in talks which appeared to end in acrimony.
However, the negotiations yielded some progress, including the largest prisoner of war swap of the conflict so far, with 1,000 captive troops set to be exchanged 'in the coming days'.
Negotiators agreed to present visions for a 'possible future ceasefire' ahead of any further talks.
The Russian side also 'noted' Ukraine's demand for a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, after the Russian president failed to show up. Earlier in the day, Donald Trump offered to meet Putin himself.
Shortly after the talks were 'suspended', Ukrainian sources said Russia had made unreasonable demands for a military withdrawal from four contested regions.
When the Ukrainian delegation complained about the demands, Russian negotiators reportedly replied: 'Next time it will be five.'
Vladimir Medinsky, Russia's lead negotiator, also told Kyiv that Moscow could fight for at least another 21 years.
'We don't want war, but we're ready to fight … We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?' said Mr Medinsky, whose official role is chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission of Historical Education of Russia.
The Great Northern War, fought between Russia and Sweden, lasted for 21 years from 1700 to 1721, during the rule of Peter the Great. Putin compared himself to the former Russian emperor shortly after launching his invasion.
Sir Keir Starmer said the Russian position was 'clearly unacceptable' and that European leaders, Ukraine and the United States were 'closely aligning' their responses.
The Prime Minister held talks with Mr Zelensky and key European allies at an EU summit in Albania while the negotiations were going on in Turkey.
They said they called Mr Trump to discuss the talks, while the US president was flying back from a week of meetings in the Gulf.
'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,' Sir Keir said.
The Prime Minister said European leaders and the US were 'aligned' in their efforts to pressure Putin to negotiate seriously about an end to the war.
He said: 'The prisoner swaps is obviously a good thing that's been agreed today, the fact that the talks continue. But I think we need to be really clear in putting pressure on Putin for a ceasefire. I'm very keen to continue to put that pressure on, because we need to make sure Putin comes to the table, and his actions this week show me that he's not serious yet about peace.'
The talks in Istanbul were hastily arranged after Putin called for direct talks but later refused Mr Zelensky's request to meet him in person.
Ukraine's delegation, led by Rustem Umerov, the defence minister, arrived at the talks dressed in military fatigues and addressed the Russians through an interpreter, despite being fluent in Russian.
The Russians were late to the meeting, which the Kremlin said it wanted to use to address the 'root causes' of the war, shorthand for maximalist demands such as demilitarising Ukraine.
Ukraine, on the other hand, said the priority was to implement a full and immediate ceasefire.
After the talks had broken up, speaking from the summit in Tirana, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to take 'the fastest possible steps to bring real peace' and demanded further pressure on Putin to force him to the negotiating table.
'There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions – especially targeting Russia's energy sector and banking system. Pressure must increase until genuine progress is made,' he said.
The negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were preceded by talks between the US and Kyiv's delegation, also in Istanbul.
Mr Umerov, who led Ukraine's delegation, joined Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, to discuss 'real mechanisms that will lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine'.
Mr Trump remained silent on the outcome of the talks after previously teasing he could attend. He said on Friday morning that he would like to meet Putin 'as soon as we can set it up'.
'As soon as we can set it up, I would actually leave here and go,' Mr Trump said as he wrapped up a four-day tour of the Gulf States.
The Kremlin said a meeting between the two leaders was 'essential' but warned there would be no quick breakthrough.
'A summit must be set up. And it must be results-oriented because a summit is always preceded by expert negotiations, consultations, and long and intense preparations,' Putin's spokesman said.
Earlier, Ursula von der Leyen vowed to keep 'increasing pressure' on Putin.
'We want peace and we have to increase the pressure until President Putin is ready for peace,' she said, confirming that work had begun on an 18th sanctions package.
The EU's 17th round of sanctions, agreed this week, targets Moscow's shadow oil fleet by blacklisting 200 tankers used to dodge export curbs.
Pope Leo XIV offered to host future peace talks after the Vatican's secretary of state described the outcome of the Turkey negotiations as 'tragic'.
'It's all tragic because we hoped that a process would begin, perhaps slowly, but with a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Instead, we are back to square one,' Cardinal Pietro Parolin said.
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