Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange around 1,200 prisoners of war along the Ukrainian-Belarusian border during their third round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. The meeting came days after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to make peace or face “very severe tariffs.” Despite the progress on prisoner exchanges, both sides failed to make significant headway on ceasefire terms or a possible summit between their presidents.
Ukraine’s former defense minister Rustem Umerov proposed a summit by the end of August between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the participation of US President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, Russia’s delegate Vladimir Medinsky rejected this proposal, saying it would only be suitable for signing an agreement.
The two sides remain at odds over ceasefire terms, with Ukraine seeking a full and unconditional ceasefire as a necessary basis for effective diplomacy, while Russia proposes short ceasefires of 24-48 hours on the front line.
Russian President Putin has shown little sign of compromising on his maximalist war aim of dismantling Ukraine’s sovereignty despite mounting casualties, which include an estimated 1 million Russian losses since February 2022.
US President Trump’s threat of new sanctions on Russia and other countries that purchase Russian oil if peace isn’t reached in 50 days may provide a much-needed boost to Ukraine’s military coffers. The US has also secured a deal to funnel new weapons to Kyiv through European allies, signaling a shift in the country’s approach to the conflict.
The talks come after previous rounds of discussions in Istanbul made little progress toward peace, but did facilitate the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and remains.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/23/europe/russia-ukraine-peace-talks-third-round-turkey-latam-intl