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Russia and Ukraine Seal Prisoner Exchange as Istanbul Talks Falter on Ceasefire

Delegations led by Vladimir Medinsky alongside Rustem Umerov agreed to swap at least 1,200 prisoners each without resolving demands for a ceasefire or a leaders’ summit

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Overview

  • Negotiators agreed to swap at least 1,200 prisoners each and Russia offered to return the bodies of 3,000 fallen soldiers
  • Russia proposed working groups on political, humanitarian and military issues to sustain contacts despite core disagreements
  • Ukraine pressed for an immediate full ceasefire, but Russia proposed only short 24- to 48-hour truces to retrieve the wounded and bodies
  • Kyiv advanced plans for a four-way summit by end of August involving Presidents Zelenskiy, Putin, Trump and Erdogan, which Russia said must await concrete peace accords
  • US President Trump set a 50-day deadline for a ceasefire under threat of sanctions, but the Kremlin held firm as clashes and drone attacks continued