Russia And Ukraine Agree Prisoner Swap But Peace Talks Fail To Make Progress | Ukraine War | N18G
On Monday, 2 June 2025, another round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without a ceasefire agreement. The meeting took place in Istanbul, Turkey, and lasted just over an hour. While both countries failed to agree on stopping the war, they did settle on exchanging sick, wounded, and young prisoners of war, and returning the bodies of thousands of fallen soldiers.
Ukrainian officials said they had pushed hard for a full and unconditional ceasefire. They wanted at least a 30-day pause in fighting on land, sea, and air. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, told reporters that Russia had again rejected this demand. According to him, Ukraine had shared its ceasefire plan days before the talks, but Russia only brought its proposal at the last minute.
Russia, for its part, offered a short-term truce—only two or three days—in certain areas of the front line. Russian officials did not explain where or when that might happen. Instead, Moscow repeated its earlier conditions, including Ukraine withdrawing troops from four partly occupied regions and giving up on joining any military alliance.
The Russian side also wants its control over Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia recognized internationally. Russia further demands limits on the size of the Ukrainian army and a ban on NATO membership. They also want the Russian language to become official in Ukraine and for Western sanctions to be lifted.
These conditions were seen by Ukrainian leaders as impossible to accept. They say such demands would mean surrendering their independence. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia said Russia was not serious about ending the war and only used talks to buy time and push its agenda.
During the talks, Ukraine also gave Russia a list of children it says were taken by force into Russian territory. Kyiv asked for these children to be returned. There has been no official Russian response to this demand yet.
Though there was no agreement on ending the fighting, both sides did agree to some humanitarian steps. They promised to exchange prisoners who are sick, wounded, or under the age of 25. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the body exchange would also take place, with each country returning the bodies of 6,000 fallen soldiers.
However, no exact dates were given for when these exchanges would happen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed the return of Russian bodies would also take place soon, but he didn’t offer details.
The war, which started with Russia’s full invasion in February 2022, continues with no end in sight. Russia still holds around 20% of Ukraine’s territory. Despite international efforts, talks between the two countries have made little progress. Even the first round of direct peace talks, held on 16 May, ended without success. That round only produced an agreement to swap 1,000 prisoners from each side.
Zelensky, speaking at a summit in Lithuania on Monday, said there are still no signs that Russia is ready to stop the war. He asked Ukraine’s allies to increase sanctions on Russia and continue sending military aid. He also said that only real pressure from the global community could push Russia to negotiate seriously.
The Ukrainian team is still hoping for a future meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. They expect a formal reply to their ceasefire proposal by the end of June. But so far, Putin has shown no interest in such talks. Both leaders remain far apart in their views on how to reach peace.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pushed for a fast settlement, has not taken strong action recently. Last month, after a major Russian missile attack, Trump called Putin “absolutely crazy.” The Kremlin dismissed the comment, saying the U.S. president was being emotional.
For now, the war continues. While some progress was made with the prisoner and body exchanges, there is still no sign of a real peace deal. Both sides remain stuck in their positions, and hopes for an end to the fighting remain low.
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