Russia and Ukraine sat down to negotiate face to face for the first time in more than three years on an appointment that had focused the eyes of the world in Istanbul, but did not meet the expectations he had raised. However, according to the discussions about the format and composition of the delegations, – in which Russians and Ukrainians did not even meet – that this Friday has been able to reach some commitments, although less than expected, it is a slight advance.
The negotiating teams, under the mediation of Turkey and after a morning of contacts to several bands in which representatives from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany also participated, agreed an exchange of 2,000 prisoners of war – 1,000 for each side, the one with the greatest size to date – and they were located to continue negotiating over a high fire, the main priority for kyiv at a time when Russians continue to advance on the ground.
“The mandate that had been given to us was, first, to negotiate the high fire; second, the humanitarian issue and the exchange [de prisioneros] And third, an eventual meeting at the level of leaders, ”said Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, at the end of the contacts.“ As a result we have agreed to exchange 1,000 people for another 1,000, ”he explained and added that a date has already been closed for this“ in the near future ”, but that this data will not be made public.
The exchanges of prisoners and deceased are. This Friday there was a new exchange: the mortal remains of 909 military were returned to Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian headquarters for the coordination of the prisoners of war, and Russia received the bodies of 34 combatants, according to the Committee of the Russian State Duma for Military Affairs.
“Today it has been an important day for world peace,” Fidan, Hakan Fidan, who served as a host of the negotiations and that, in the same way that the Trump administration is eager to score somewhat diplomat, lowering the tensions between Moscow and kyiv (Ankara maintains close political and commercial relations with both capitals). In addition to the exchange of prisoners, Fidan explained that the parties have agreed to “share in writing the conditions that would allow the fire to reach” and “meet again.”
There are still doubts about the sincerity of Russia and its commitment to negotiations. The meeting was convened by President Vladimir Putin who, however, headed by his advisor and former Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinski. A low level that enervated the Ukrainians and their western partners, since the delegation that departed from kyiv was led by its president, Volodimir Zelenski, and the Ministers of Defense and Foreign, as well as high positions of the Armed Forces and the directors of the various intelligence services. Türkiye and the United States also were represented at the ministerial level and with high political and intelligence positions.
Gain time
At the end of the Istanbul meeting, the head of the Russian delegation emphasized that his team “is satisfied with the results of the negotiations.” “We agree that each part will present its vision of a possible high future fire and write it in detail,” Medinski added in a brief intervention. Just 24 hours before, Russian Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov had reiterated that the fire does not contemplate a stop because, according to Moscow, it would allow to reinforce Ukraine. This fears that Russia follows the libretto of other past negotiations with which he achieved his goal: to gain time based on promises subsequently broken by his cannons.
The perspective of Putin accessing a truce. The Russian leader believes to have the time and initiative on his side on the battlefield. According to a source of the Ukraine diplomacy to the Reuters agency, the Russian negotiating team returned from the hat to assess a hypothetical truce: in exchange for the high Ukraine fire should remove its troops from the territory that still controls in the four provinces that Russia tries to conquer (Donetsk, Lugansk, Jersón and Zaporiyia).
The Russian part has insisted on taking as a negotiations what was agreed in Istanbul in 2022, when kyiv offered his resignation to enter NATO in exchange for security guarantees and Moscow sought to complete territory. However, Ukrainian envoys to Türkiye have made it clear that circumstances have changed and that negotiations should be produced on new bases.
Regarding the Ukrainian proposition of a bilateral encounter among its presidents to negotiate peace, the leader of the Russian negotiators responded with vagueness. “The Russian part takes note of this,” Medianski said about a meeting that Putin refuses. For the Russian president, it would be a failure to negotiate face to face with a politician who considers a mere “actor”, and who, in recent days, members of his government have branded as “clown” and “failed.” On the other hand, he has given signs that he would access a face to face with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, although Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, nuanced that it will not be soon: “A summit is always preceded by negotiations of experts, consultations and a long and intense preparation, especially if we talk about a summit between the president of the Federation of Russia and the United States of America.”
