Ukraine, Russia conclude talks in Istanbul, a 1,200-for-1,200 prisoner exchange is in the works, Zelensky says

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations concluded peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, agreeing on a new prisoners of war (POWs) exchange but failing to reach a ceasefire.

The talks, hosted by Turkish officials, follow the first round of negotiations on May 16. The initial meeting ended with an agreement on the largest prisoner exchange of the war, but without any tangible progress toward a peace deal.

The parties agreed to conduct a major swap, which will include severely injured and young people aged 18 to 25.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the next prisoner exchange would feature at least 1,000 people on each side, and might reach a 1,200-for-1,200 swap that would possibly also include imprisoned journalists and political prisoners held in Russia.

After the talks, Russia pledged to transfer 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers and officers to Ukraine and also proposed a ceasefire for two or three days in some areas of the front line in order to retrieve the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

"They just don’t see a ceasefire as such at the moment," Zelensky said of Russia's proposal. "As they said regarding a ceasefire, they are ready for a 2–3-day ceasefire to retrieve the dead from the battlefield. I think they’re idiots, because, fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead."

"You can see their attitude. For them, this is just a brief pause in the war," the president added.

Zelensky said that only 15% of the mentioned 6,000 are identified and that Ukraine would need to check that the bodies Russia is willing to return are those of Ukrainian soldiers.

"We had instances when they returned bodies that later were identified as their own," Zelensky said on June 2.

Kyiv also handed over to the Russian delegation a list of 339 children abducted by Russia, and Moscow passed over its memorandum of proposals for a ceasefire. Ukraine submitted its document on May 28.

Following the talks, the Kyiv Independent obtained the text of the peace proposals that Ukraine presented to Russia in Istanbul.

According to the document, the Ukrainian delegation offered Moscow a complete ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners of war in an "all-for-all format," bringing back the children abducted by Russia, and the release of all civilians from Russian captivity.

Ukraine called for guarantees that would prevent Russia from repeating its aggression, as well as the involvement of the international community to achieve this.

According to Ukraine's proposal seen by the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine will continue on its path toward joining the EU and will become a member of NATO if there is consensus within the alliance.

Ukraine is also ready to agree to the gradual lifting of some sanctions against Russia, but with a mechanism for their renewal if necessary. Frozen Russian assets, in turn, should be used to restore Ukraine and pay reparations.

Umerov was leading Ukraine's 14-member delegation, which includes several figures from Ukraine's military, human rights, and legal sectors who did not take part in the May 16 negotiations.

Before meeting with Russian officials, Umerov held a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Suspilne reported.

Russian delegates were led by Medinsky, who represented Moscow both during the first unsuccessful peace talks in Istanbul in 2022 and then again in May this year.

Russia has not officially submitted its memorandum outlining peace terms, but Ukraine plans to present a detailed roadmap aimed at securing a lasting settlement.

Before the talks, Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia and Ukrainian delegation member Oleksandr Bevz met representatives from Germany, Italy, and the U.K. to coordinate their positions, Tykhyi said on X.

"Members of the Ukrainian delegation reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to peace efforts. They elaborated on the items of the agenda, which include leaders’ meeting, a full ceasefire, and humanitarian confidence-building measures," he added.

Security advisors from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany also plan to attend the talks, according to U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.

While the U.S. and Ukraine have pushed for an unconditional ceasefire, the Kremlin has rejected it.

Instead, Moscow has regularly voiced maximalist demands that are unlikely to be accepted by Kyiv, such as recognition of Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions and withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the parts of these regions remaining under Kyiv’s control.

Trump has expressed frustration with Russia's reluctance to make concessions and its intensifying and deadly attacks on Ukraine. He has so far refused to impose additional sanctions on Russia.

The talks are taking place only a day after the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a mass drone attack against Russian air bases, allegedly hitting 41 Russian bombers and disabling 34% of Russia's cruise missile air fleet.