In Istanbul, there were the first direct talks in 3 years between Ukraine and Russia. The Ukrainian delegation was headed by defence minister Rust Umierov, the Russians were led by presidential advisor Vladimir Miedinski. Vladimir Putin did not appear in Turkey, due to his absence from the negotiations Volodymyr Zelenski resigned.
The talks held on 16 May 2025 preceded many-day speculation on the compositions of delegations and whether the gathering would take place at all. The question of the presence of representatives of the United States from Donald Trump At the head of the flight, which declared ready to arrive in Istanbul if Putin had arrived. Eventually, in the presence of only Turkish hosts, Ukrainians and Russians representing a comparatively low diplomatic level sat to the table.
"Unacceptable demands"
The gathering lasted 2 hours, it is unclear if there will be another. According to Sky News, the Ukrainian side "disconcerned Russia's demands". The Russians, under the pretext of creating a demilitarized zone, were to request the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the front territories. Ukrainian diplomats considered these expectations unrealistic and going far beyond the pre-established framework," says Sky News, pointing out that another "unacceptable demands" would besides happen during the talks.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Miedinski issued a message stating that the Russian delegation was satisfied with the results. He has promised a large prisoner exchange in expression 1000 per 1000. He reported that the Ukrainian delegation had requested talks between the leaders of both countries and "Russia took note of this". He assured that his country was ready to proceed negotiations.
No chance of a fast agreement
Let us remind you, Ukraine is seeking a 30-day ceasefire, which is supported by the Donald Trump administration. Russia, on the another hand, puts tough conditions for stopping fire, among which there is simply a request to limit Military aid for Kiev and the resignation of Ukraine from its aspirations to NATO membership.
It is hard to anticipate Ukrainians to make specified concessions, so although the resumption of talks itself is seen as a step towards ending a bloody conflict, most analysts stay skeptical. The low level of talks and the persistent divergences do not supply a chance for fast agreement. And the concentration of further forces along the front lines and all decision of repeated drone-racite attacks on Ukrainian cities makes the Russians uncertainty the sincerity of intentions.
