Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian President, and Rustem Umerov , Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, held talks with each other on Wednesday evening. This closed-door meeting was chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The talks lasted less than an hour.
Ukraine’s Statement After the Talks
After the talks concluded, Umerov said in a press conference, “We are now ready for a ceasefire and to begin more substantial peace talks. Accepting this fundamental step towards peace depends on the other side.” He added, “We are insisting that there should be a ceasefire. This must completely halt attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.”
Russia’s Statement
Meanwhile, in a separate press conference after the talks, Medinsky also provided important information. He stated that Russia and Ukraine had agreed on an exchange of 1,200-1,200 prisoners of war. This includes a proposal to exchange approximately 30 civilians held captive by Ukraine in the Kursk region. He said that Russia has returned the bodies of 7,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers and is prepared to return 3,000 more. He requested Ukraine to return any number of deceased Russian soldiers. He also stated that the Russian side proposed establishing three online working groups with Ukraine to consider political, humanitarian, and military issues.
A request was made to consider announcing a short ceasefire of 24 to 48 hours along the contact line to evacuate wounded soldiers and return the bodies of deceased soldiers. Earlier, in the previous two rounds of talks held in Istanbul on 16 May and 2 June, thousands of prisoners of war and the bodies of deceased soldiers were exchanged, but no significant progress was made towards a ceasefire.
When Will Putin and Zelenskyy Meet?
It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian side has proposed to Russia holding a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by the end of August. The participation of US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would be particularly significant. Regarding this meeting, Medinsky stated that such a meeting cannot be considered until certain procedures are completed.
