Russia-Ukraine peace talks end after less than 2 hours with deal to swap
POWs but no ceasefire
[May 17, 2025]
By HANNA ARHIROVA, ANDREW WILKS and LORNE COOK
ISTANBUL (AP) — The first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks since the
early weeks of Moscow’s 2022 invasion ended after less than two hours
Friday, and while both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they
clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.
One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a
temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. The
Kremlin has pushed back against such a truce, which remains elusive.
“We haven’t received a Russian ‘yes’ on this basic point,” Ukrainian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhii said after the talks. “If you
want to have serious negotiations, you have to have guns silenced.”
But Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky pronounced himself
“satisfied with the outcome,” adding that Moscow was ready to continue
contacts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed the talks with
U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, the U.K.
and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in
Albania, he urged “tough sanctions” against Moscow if it rejects “a full
and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings.”
In Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war
each, according to the heads of both delegations, in what would be their
biggest such swap.
Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads
of state, according to chief Ukrainian delegate, Defense Minister Rustem
Umerov.

Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said both sides agreed to
provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals, with Ukraine
requesting the heads of state meeting, which Russia took under
consideration.
“The pressure on the Russian Federation must continue," said Serhii
Kyslytsia, Ukraine’s first deputy foreign minister and part of Kyiv’s
delegation. "We should not really relax at this point.”
New, ‘unacceptable conditions’
During the talks, a senior Ukrainian official said Russia introduced
new, “unacceptable demands” to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge
swaths of territory. The official, who was not authorized to make
official statements, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of
anonymity. The proposal had not been previously discussed, the official
said.
The Ukrainian side reiterated it was focused on achieving real progress
— an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy — “just
like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed,” the
official added.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Tykhii confirmed the Russian delegation
"voiced a number of things that we deem unacceptable,” but added: “This
is something that Russians usually voice, and we were keeping to our
line.”
The two sides sat opposite each other at a U-shaped table in the
Dolmabahce Palace but remained far apart in their conditions for ending
the war. Trump, who has pressed for an end to the conflict, said he
would meet with Putin “as soon as we can set it up.”
“I think it’s time for us to just do it,” Trump told reporters in Abu
Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the talks by urging
participants “to take advantage of this opportunity,” adding it was
“critically important that the ceasefire happens as soon as possible.”
In a social media post, Fidan called the POW swap as a
“confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed in
principle to meet again.
Zelenskyy seeks European unity
Zelenskyy was in Tirana, Albania, with leaders of 47 European countries
to discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the
backdrop of the war. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron,
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the
war,” Zelenskyy said on X, posting a photo of the leaders during the
call, the second for the group since May 10.
Speaking to reporters after the call with Trump, Starmer said the
Russian position "is clearly unacceptable.”

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Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks at the Dolmabache
palace, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, May 16, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov,
Sputnik Pool Photo via AP)

While he didn't say what the Europeans' response might involve, some
of them pressed for new sanctions, with the European Union likely to
adopt new measures as soon as Tuesday.
Macron said it was “unacceptable that, for a second time, Russia
hasn’t responded to the demands made by the Americans, supported by
Ukraine and the Europeans. No ceasefire, and therefore no meeting at
a decision-making level. And no response.”
Merz said diplomatic efforts so far "have unfortunately failed
because of Russia’s lack of readiness to take the first steps in the
right direction now.”
“But we will not give up,” he added. All three said Kyiv and its
allies in Europe will continue to coordinate their efforts.
Diplomatic maneuvering
Both countries engaged in diplomatic maneuvering this week as they
tried to show Trump that they are eager to negotiate, although he
expressed frustration with the slow progress and threatened to
punish foot-dragging.
On Thursday, Putin spurned an offer by Zelenskyy to meet
face-to-face in Turkey. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not making a
serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level delegation.
Ukraine has accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a full, 30-day
ceasefire, but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing
far-reaching conditions.
Commenting on a possible Trump-Putin meeting, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit
is building. He told reporters that top-level talks were “certainly
needed,” but added that preparing a summit would take time.
Fighting continues in Ukraine
Russia, meanwhile, is preparing a fresh military offensive,
Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in Minsk to discuss
joint military drills in September and deliveries of new weapons to
Belarus. Zelenskyy has warned that the military buildup in Belarus,
which borders NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, could serve
as a cover for future attacks.
A Friday drone attack on the northeastern city of Kupiansk killed a
55-year-old woman and wounded four men, said Oleh Syniehubov, head
of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration.

Russia’s invasion has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians,
the U.N. says, and razed towns and villages. Tens of thousands of
Ukrainian soldiers have died, and likely a larger number of Russian
troops, officials and analysts say.
One Ukrainian soldier told AP he wasn’t hopeful about the talks.
“I don’t think they will agree on anything concrete, because summer
is the best time for war,” said the soldier, who used the call sign
“Corsair” in accordance with Ukrainian military rules. “The enemy is
trying to constantly escalate the situation.”
But he said many of his comrades “believe that by the end of the
year there will be peace, albeit an unstable one, but peace.”
Before the talks, Ukrainian officials met with national security
advisers from the U.S., France, Germany and the U.K. to coordinate
positions, the senior Ukrainian official told AP. The U.S. team was
led by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to
Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief
Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine, the official said.
A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took
place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side
included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg.
On Thursday, Rubio said he believed a breakthrough was only possible
is a meeting between Trump and Putin.
___
Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani
in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Llazar Semini in Tirana,
Albania, contributed.
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