Latest news with #Ottoman-era
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia and Ukraine agree to prisoner swap but peace talks stall in Istanbul
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner swap and the return of thousands of war dead during direct talks in Istanbul although little headway was made towards ending the war. The delegations met on Monday at the Ottoman-era Ciragan Palace in the Turkish city, and officials confirmed that both sides will exchange prisoners of war and the remains of 6,000 soldiers killed in combat. Negotiators from both sides confirmed they had reached a deal to swap all severely wounded soldiers as well as all captured fighters under the age of 25. '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 the swap would involve 'at least 1,000' on each side – topping the 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange agreed at talks last month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking from Vilnius, Lithuania, said the two parties 'exchanged documents through the Turkish side' and Kyiv was preparing for the next group of captives to be released. The Istanbul meeting marks the second direct dialogue in less than a month, but expectations were low. The talks on May 16 produced another major prisoner swap but failed to reach a ceasefire. 'The exchange of prisoners seems to be the diplomatic channel that actually works between Russia and Ukraine,' Al Jazeera correspondent Dmitry Medvedenko said, reporting from Istanbul. 'We've actually had exchanges of prisoners throughout this war, not in the numbers that have been happening as a result of these Istanbul talks,' Medvedenko added. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Kyiv also handed over a list of children it accuses Russia of abducting and demanded their return. As for a truce, Russia and Ukraine remain sharply divided. 'The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire,' Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya told reporters after the talks. Russia said it had offered a limited pause in fighting. 'We have proposed a specific ceasefire for two to three days in certain areas of the front line,' top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said, adding this was needed to collect bodies of dead soldiers from the battlefield Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the talks 'magnificent'. 'My greatest wish is to bring together [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and Zelenskyy in Istanbul or Ankara and even add [United States President Donald] Trump along,' he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who chaired the talks, said the world was watching closely. He acknowledged the two sides had discussed the conditions for a ceasefire but no tangible outcome was announced. Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament, told Al Jazeera he was not very optimistic about the talks in Istanbul. 'Russia clearly shows that they don't want to end the war because Ukraine proposed a 30-days ceasefire in March, and the American and Europe proposition was the same, but only one country [Russia] refused,' Goncharenko said. Meanwhile, Ukraine has ramped up its military efforts far beyond the front lines, claiming responsibility for drone attacks on Sunday that it said damaged or destroyed more than 40 Russian warplanes. The operation targeted airbases in three distant regions – the Arctic, Siberia and the Far East – thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. 'This brilliant operation will go down in history,' Zelenskyy said, calling the raids a turning point in Ukraine's struggle. Ukrainian officials said the attacks crippled nearly a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet. Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, said the mission had taken more than a year to plan. Zelenskyy said the setback for Russia's military would increase pressure on Moscow to return to the negotiating table. 'Russia must feel the cost of its aggression. That is what will push it towards diplomacy,' he said during his visit to Lithuania, where he met leaders from NATO's eastern flank and Nordic countries. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, reported that Russia launched 472 drones on Sunday – the highest number since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022 – aiming to exhaust Ukrainian air defences. Most of those drones targeted civilian areas, it Monday, Russian forces bombarded southern Ukraine's Kherson region, killing three people and injuring 19, including two children. Separately, five people were killed and nine injured in attacks near Zaporizhzhia in the neighbouring Zaporizhia region. Russia's Ministry of Defence said its forces had intercepted 162 Ukrainian drones overnight across eight regions and Crimea while Ukraine said it shot down 52 out of 80 drones launched by Russia. Zelenskyy warned that if the Istanbul talks fail to deliver results, more sanctions against Russia will be necessary. 'If there's no breakthrough, then new, strong sanctions must follow – urgently,' he said.
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq restores historic Ottoman khan
Shafaq News/ Iraq has launched a restoration project for Khan al-Iskandariya, a 16th-century Ottoman-era caravanserai in northern Babylon, part of efforts to preserve national heritage and promote tourism. Khan al-Iskandariya, once a vital stop for trade caravans and pilgrims en route to Karbala and Najaf, features a rare design of overlapping forts and multiple domes. The building has remained unused since the 1950s, contributing to its deterioration. The Babylon Antiquities Inspectorate is overseeing the rehabilitation, divided into three phases, the first—funded by the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage—focusing on clearing rubble, removing invasive vegetation, reinforcing damaged domes and walls, and building a protective outer barrier. The second phase, currently underway and financed by the Babylon Governorate through Iraq's post-ISIS recovery plan, targets the western section known as Khan al-Waqf. This stage includes structural repairs, groundwater mitigation, reconstruction of damaged arches and ceilings, and installation of lighting and walkways. 'We're restoring the khan using traditional materials that match its original character,' Salman Ahmed, head of the restoration committee, told Shafaq News. 'Our objective goes beyond preservation—this is about creating a cultural and tourist hub for both locals and visitors.'
Condé Nast Traveler
22-05-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
The Cheapest Nicest Hotels in Istanbul
Once home to the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires, Istanbul now has numerous architectural triumphs. When visitors think of the city's best hotels, opulent images will likely spring to mind: Ottoman-era palaces decked out with tulip-emblazoned rugs and lush emerald grounds; neo-classical buildings adorned with quaint terraces and quirky fresco ceilings; perhaps even the more recently constructed art deco properties popular among 20th-century travelers. Luckily, finding one of these iconic stays need not come at a hefty price tag. A range of affordable hotels are tucked away in quiet corners of this wondrous city, all offering similar design-oriented details and immersive qualities akin to luxurious alternatives. Here are some of our favorite, most affordable hotels in Istanbul. More Istanbul travel recommendations:
NBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Trump says 'nothing' will happen during Ukraine peace talks as Putin skips out
ISTANBUL — High-stakes peace talks Thursday between Russia and Ukraine that were called for by Vladimir Putin hit speed bumps as the Kremlin confirmed he would be skipping the negotiations and President Donald Trump added that "nothing" would happen unless he and his Russian counterpart attended. Uncertainty over the start date, location and whether either side would even participate made for chaotic scenes in the Turkish capital, Ankara, as well as in Antalya and Istanbul — where some 200 journalists and crew were massed outside the Ottoman-era Dolmabahçe Palace with no clear idea of when talks would get underway. The talks were later postponed for Friday. The build-up to Thursday's talks had included a back and forth between Kyiv, Moscow and the Trump administration which hinted at the possibility of a three-way meeting involving Trump, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That did not ultimately materialize. While speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates, Trump was asked about the level of the delegation Russia sent to Turkey. 'Look, nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together, OK?' he said, adding that Putin did not lead the delegation because Trump had chosen not to attend. 'He wasn't going if I wasn't there.' Later on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he would meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul on Friday. Echoing Trump's comments, he reaffirmed that the involvement of both Trump and Putin would be "the only way we're going to have a breakthrough" in the war. Rubio said the U.S. will decide on a timeline for a possible meeting between Trump and Putin after the Friday talks, adding that the president is willing to 'stick with' the process as long as it takes to achieve peace. Prior to Rubio's comments, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had told CNN 'no,' when asked whether Putin would be attending talks in Turkey, and had separately said at the time that there were 'no preparations' for talks between Putin and Trump in the coming days. Putin made the suggestion for negotiations 'without any preconditions' after Ukrainian allies, including Germany, France and Britain presented an ultimatum to Moscow to either accept the ceasefire proposal or face additional sanctions. The Russian leader's no-show is expected to further antagonize the White House, which has markedly changed its tone over the war in the past weeks. After his historic Oval Office shouting match with Zelenskyy, Vice President JD Vance has shifted to accusing Moscow of ' asking for too much ' in the bilateral peace talks senior Trump administration officials have held with Russia in recent weeks. That is partly because Trump's major gripe with Ukraine — that American taxpayers have mostly funded its defense — was soothed after the two nations struck a minerals deal that would go some way to repaying American military aid. Zelenskyy has also presented himself as compliant, backing Trump's calls for an immediate 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Trump has said he is 'always considering' additional sanctions against Russia if he believes Moscow is blocking the peace process, with officials also suggesting secondary sanctions on the buyers of Russian oil. After heeding Trump's calls to accept Putin's initial suggestion of talks Sunday, Zelenskyy landed Thursday in Ankara. Before a planned meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy said he would meet with a broader Turkish delegation, as well as American diplomats. 'The level of the Russian delegation is not officially known to me yet, but from what we see — it looks like not a serious level,' Zelenskyy said, using a Ukrainian word meaning "sham" or "theatrical." 'We must understand the level of the Russian delegation and what mandate they have — whether they are even capable of making any decisions on their own,' he added, 'because we all know who actually makes decisions in Russia.' That was instead of joining the talks initially planned for Istanbul, after the Kremlin indicated late Wednesday that rather than Putin, or even Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it was instead sending a relatively junior team headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. While the Kremlin's last-minute naming of a junior team has done little to dispel Ukrainian and European allegations that Putin is not taking Trump's peace-brokering attempts seriously, the Russian delegation that arrived Thursday in Istanbul was 'ready for serious work,' the Russian Foreign Ministry's Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing the same day. Ukraine responded to the scaling-down of the talks by vascillating over whether it would even send a delegation to Istanbul, as Kyiv and Moscow appeared to disagree over the start time of talks. While Russian media initially reported a 10 a.m. local time start (3 a.m. ET) at the Dolmabahçe Palace, that shifted to midday and then after 5 p.m, before being postponed to Friday. Further illustrating the confusion in Istanbul, American personnel were seen late Thursday morning still appearing to prepare a venue for a U.S. delegation to use as a base, with officials huddled in urgent meetings and two security staff arriving with a German shepherd dog.
NBC News
15-05-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Putin skips the direct Ukraine peace talks that he suggested as chaos reigns in Turkey
Confusion swirled around high-stakes peace talks between Russia and Ukraine called for by Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday, as the Kremlin confirmed that Putin himself would be skipping the negotiations. The chaos over the start date, location, and whether either side would even participate made for chaotic scenes in Ankara, Turkey 's capital, Antalya and Istanbul — outside whose Ottoman-era Dolmabahçe Palace some 200 journalists and crew were massed with no clear idea of when talks would get underway. A confusing back-and-forth between Kyiv, Moscow and the Trump administration dashed the U.S. president's hopes of a three-way meeting involving Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. When asked Thursday whether Putin would be attending talks in Turkey, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN 'no.' Putin made the suggestion for negotiations 'without any preconditions' after Ukrainian allies, including Germany, France and the U.K. presented an ultimatum to Moscow to either accept the ceasefire proposal or face additional sanctions. The Russian leader's no-show is expected to further antagonize the White House, which has markedly changed its tone over the war in the past weeks. Even after his historic Oval Office shouting match with Zelenskyy, Vice President J.D. Vance has shifted to accusing Moscow of ' asking for too much,' in the bilateral peace talks senior Trump administration officials have held with Russia in recent weeks. That is partly because Trump's major gripe with Ukraine — that American taxpayers have mostly funded Ukraine's defense — was soothed after the two nations struck a mineral deals that would go some way to repaying American military aid. Zelenskyy has also presented himself as compliant, backing Trump's calls for an immediate 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Trump has said he is 'always considering' additional sanctions against Russia if he believes Moscow is blocking the peace process, with officials also suggesting secondary sanctions on the buyers of Russian oil. After heeding Trump's calls to accept Putin's initial suggestion of talks Sunday, Zelenskyy landed Thursday in Ankara, according to Reuters, and planned to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan on Thursday. That was instead of joining the talks initially planned for Istanbul, after the Kremlin indicated late Wednesday that rather than Putin, or even Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it was instead sending a relatively junior team headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. 'This week really may change a lot — but only may,' Zelenskyy said in an X post Wednesday, adding, 'I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take.' 'So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing,' he added. While the Kremlin's last-minute naming of a junior team will do little to dispel Ukrainian and European allegations that Putin is not taking Trump's peace-brokering attempts seriously, the Russian delegation that arrived Thursday in Istanbul was 'ready for serious work,' Russian foreign ministry Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing the same day. As well as uncertainty over whether Ukraine would even send a delegation to the scaled down talks in Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow appeared to disagree over the start time of talks.
