Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agree to a prisoner swap but made no major breakthroughs in Istanbul ceasefire talks.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Now a closer look at what’s been happening with the delegations from Russia and Ukraine. They held direct talks in Istanbul, Turkey, today. That meeting came a day later than planned and with lowered expectations, given the absence of high-level political leaders in the room. Even so, the peace negotiations were the first between Moscow and Kyiv since the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Joining us now is NPR’s Charles Maynes, who has been following these events from Moscow. Hi there.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Hi, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Charles, I gather this was not exactly a smooth process, getting these delegations together.
MAYNES: (Laughter).
SUMMERS: Tell us why.
MAYNES: No, it was not. You know, these talks were supposed to start Thursday but were derailed by news that President Vladimir Putin of Russia would not be joining, despite having been the one to propose the idea. Instead, Putin announced last minute a mid-level group, I would call, of technocrats were representing Russia. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who traveled to Turkey and challenged Putin to show up as well, made no secret he thought this showed Putin wasn’t serious about the negotiations or, for that matter, a ceasefire. Here he is speaking to the – on the sidelines of a summit of European leaders in Albania today.
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PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that – to a ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step – then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy.
SUMMERS: But Charles, of course these two delegations – they did finally meet. So what came out of it?
MAYNES: Well, yeah, for less than two hours behind closed doors – and there were some signs of progress, including a deal for a mass prisoner swap – 1,000 prisoners from each side – also an agreement to exchange competing ceasefire proposals as a basis for further discussions. And the head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also had this to say.
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VLADIMIR MEDINSKY: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: So here, Medinsky says that on the whole, the Russian delegation was satisfied with the results of the meeting. And not only that, they were ready to continue contacts with Ukraine. So arguably, these are all good things. The problem here was there were high expectations going into Istanbul. You know, Putin presented these talks as a surprise counteroffer to Western demands he sign an immediate 30-day ceasefire or face massive new sanctions. You know, that implied some new flexibility for some people, and so many thought today’s meetings from the beginning were less about what was accomplished and more about who didn’t bother to show – about the deal that wasn’t made.
SUMMERS: Right. And to that point, another question mark looming over all of this was whether President Trump, who was on the Middle East on an official trip, might make a cameo.
MAYNES: Yeah. Trump said he might stop by if he thought it would help close a deal. Obviously, he didn’t in the end. Was that because he thought Putin wouldn’t come, or was it the other way around? We just don’t know. Either way, Trump and others, such as his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, say that it’ll take Trump now and Putin in a room to hammer out a real peace deal. And this is really music to Moscow’s ears. The Kremlin has always portrayed the war in Ukraine as part of a wider conflict between Russia and the West.
SUMMERS: So help us understand where things might go from here.
MAYNES: Well, this prisoner exchange may happen in the next few days. That’s good news. Russian-Ukraine talks may very well make progress for these ceasefire proposals as well. The question is whether Putin has inflicted damage elsewhere. You know, the Europeans are clearly incensed at what they see as Putin feigning diplomacy while he maximizes leverage on the battlefield. They say they’ll now move forward with more sanctions and tariffs against key Russian exports. But the bigger issue is how Trump reacts. You know, the U.S. had threatened to join the Europeans if it didn’t see a ceasefire. What does Trump do now? And who does he blame really remains elusive. Is it Russia, Ukraine or both?
SUMMERS: NPR’s Charles Maynes speaking with us from Moscow. Thanks so much.
MAYNES: Thank you.
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