Russia and Ukraine Hold Direct Talks for First Time Since 2022

Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since early 2022 in Istanbul on Friday afternoon, a meeting that lasted less than two hours amid low expectations fueled by last-minute scheduling confusion and mutual accusations of bad faith.

Two sessions took place during the day, with Turkish, U.S. and Ukrainian officials meeting in the morning. Talks between Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian delegations started around 1:30 p.m. local time.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the Russia-Ukraine discussions by telling delegates at the Dolmabahçe Palace that it was critical to reach a ceasefire agreement as soon as possible, after which the meeting was closed to the press.

But the chasm between the two sides was made apparent shortly after the talks concluded around 3:30 p.m. local time, according to a Ukrainian source who told Reuters that Russia’s demands were “detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed.”

Among them were ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory in order to obtain a ceasefire, as well as other “non-starters and non-constructive conditions,” the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Russia’s delegation did not address those demands in a brief statement it gave to the press following the meeting, but chief negotiator and Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said he was “satisfied” with the negotiations, hinted at possible future direct talks and confirmed that Russia and Ukraine agreed to hold a major prisoner exchange in the near future.

Ukraine, whose delegates were expected to issue a separate press statement later on Friday, also confirmed the prison exchange.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara on Thursday, declined to attend the talks after Russia’s Vladimir Putin rejected his offer for a face-to-face meeting. Instead, Zelensky sent Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to lead Ukraine’s delegation.

Russia’s delegation was headed by former Culture Minister Medinsky, who also led the failed 2022 peace talks. At the time, Kyiv accused Moscow of demanding what it said amounted to capitulation, including recognizing Russian-occupied territories and drastically reducing the size of its military.

Zelensky on Thursday had dismissed the Russian delegation as “decorative,” arguing they have no decision-making power. Medinsky responded with a brief statement to journalists, saying his team “has the power to make decisions” and that Moscow sees Friday’s meeting as a continuation of the 2022 negotiations.

Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation would “try to achieve at least the first steps toward de-escalation, an end to the war — namely a ceasefire,” but added that Russia was not serious about the talks. He suggested new Western sanctions could follow if progress was not made Friday, saying: “We are waiting for a clear and strong reaction from the partners.”

Ahead of the talks, U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg met with the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, along with Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Umerov. Officials from France, Germany and the United Kingdom also attended that meeting.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Istanbul on Friday and participated in the trilateral meeting with Turkish and Ukrainian officials. While he is not joining the Russia-Ukraine talks, the State Department said Director for Policy Planning Michael Anton would represent the U.S. in working-level discussions with the Russian delegation.

Rubio told reporters on Thursday that he had low expectations for the talks and suggested that any progress would likely require a meeting between President Donald Trump and President Putin. Trump, currently touring the Middle East, has said that “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together.”

Interfax, citing an unnamed source familiar with the negotiation process, reported that Russia opposed U.S. participation in Friday’s talks with Ukrainian negotiators.

Shortly before the talks began in Istanbul, the Kremlin said Putin would be closely following any updates and was in constant communication with the Russian delegation.

“The president is receiving all information in real time. He’s being regularly briefed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “All the necessary guidelines for the negotiation stance, which were developed at the meeting we discussed earlier, are in place.”

When asked to comment on Rubio’s statement that the U.S. and Russian presidents would need to meet face-to-face in order for progress to be made in peace negotiations, Peskov said he agreed, but noted that a summit requires careful preparation.

“Contact between Putin and Trump is extremely important in the context of a Ukrainian settlement. Naturally, we agree with that position. The importance of that is difficult to overstate,” he said.

Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to show Trump, who has called for a quick end to the war, that they are committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict. 

However, after months of U.S.-led shuttle diplomacy and several rounds of mediated negotiations, the two warring sides do not appear any closer to reaching a peace settlement than they did before Trump took office in January.