Desk Report,
Russia, Ukraine agree to further prisoner exchange and hand over bodies of slain soldiers
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner exchange and the return of the bodies of nearly 12,000 soldiers killed in the conflict. The decision was made at peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. The meeting, the second since March 2022, lasted about an hour.
Russia, Ukraine agree to further prisoner exchange and hand over bodies of slain soldiers
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. He expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would meet in Turkey in the future, in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
However, no progress was made on the ceasefire proposal during Monday’s talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have urged Russia to accept the ceasefire proposal. However, Moscow has said it wants a long-term solution, not a short-term pause in the fighting. Kiev, on the other hand, has accused Putin of not being interested in peace.
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that at the meeting, Russia had given the Ukrainian representatives a detailed note containing Moscow’s conditions for a full ceasefire. He said that a “ceasefire in certain areas on the front for two to three days” had also been proposed, so that the bodies of the dead could be collected.
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Meeting in Istanbul
Russia-Ukraine agree to further prisoner exchange, handover of bodies of killed soldiers
Reuters
Istanbul
Updated: 03 June 2025, 02:44
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Head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. Istanbul, Turkey, June 2, 2025 Photo: Reuters
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner exchange and hand over the bodies of about 12,000 soldiers killed in the conflict. The decision was made at peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was only the second round of talks between representatives of the two countries since March 2022.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. He expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be brought together in Turkey in the future, in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
However, there was no progress on the ceasefire proposal during Monday’s talks. Ukraine and its Western allies have urged Russia to accept the ceasefire proposal. However, Moscow has said it wants a long-term solution, not a short-term pause in the fighting. On the other hand, Kiev complains that Putin is not interested in establishing peace.
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that at the meeting, Russia had given the Ukrainian representatives a detailed note containing Moscow’s conditions for a full ceasefire. He said that a “ceasefire in certain areas of the front for two to three days” had also been proposed, so that the bodies of the dead could be collected.
The two sides agreed to hand over the bodies of 6,000 soldiers each. In addition, it was decided to exchange prisoners of war on a large scale, giving priority to those seriously injured and young prisoners during the war. Earlier, after the first round of talks in Istanbul on May 15, the two countries exchanged 1,000 prisoners each.
Acknowledging that they had received the draft peace agreement provided by Moscow, Ukrainian Defense Minister and head of the delegation in Kiev, Rustem Umerov, said that they would review the Russian draft. He said that Ukraine had proposed further talks by the end of June. However, they believe that many issues can only be resolved through a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
