ISTANBUL, Türkiye — Russia and Ukraine are considering a large-scale prisoner exchange that could see each side release 1,000 inmates, as both delegations met in Istanbul this week for their first direct negotiations since 2022.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who is heading Kyiv’s delegation at the renewed peace talks, confirmed on Friday, May 16, 2025, that the two sides had discussed both the prisoner exchange and the possibility of a future meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
“We are potentially preparing a meeting at the level of leaders of the countries,” Umerov said.
“We have talked about the exchange of 1,000 for 1,000. We are also working on other modalities of this exchange. We need to first deal with the exchange of prisoners and then we will inform you about our next steps.”
While Umerov noted that the date for the potential exchange has been set, he declined to disclose it publicly at this stage.
The talks in Istanbul, chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and attended by American envoys, were held at the historic Dolmabahçe Palace.
The high-stakes discussions mark the first formal diplomatic contact between the two countries since peace negotiations collapsed in March 2022.
Umerov, a former businessman turned defence chief, has gained a reputation as a capable negotiator with experience navigating sensitive wartime diplomacy.
Despite facing scrutiny over allegations of a lack of transparency and an ongoing probe into abuse of power, he remains one of Ukraine’s few senior officials with direct negotiation experience with Moscow.
His Russian counterpart in Istanbul is Vladimir Medinsky, a former culture minister and close ally of President Putin.
Medinsky has drawn criticism from Ukrainian officials, who see him as lacking real authority.
President Zelenskyy, speaking from Ankara, expressed scepticism about Russia’s commitment to the talks.
“The Russian delegation does not include anyone who actually makes decisions,” he said, accusing President Putin of avoiding the negotiations.
“Our aim is to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war — namely, a ceasefire.”
Zelenskyy’s remarks were echoed by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East.
Trump suggested Putin withdrew from the talks upon learning that he would not be attending in person.
“Nothing will happen until I meet with Putin,” Trump told reporters, implying his direct involvement could break the deadlock.
The renewed dialogue comes as the war grinds into its third year, with tens of thousands of soldiers dead on both sides and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties reported.
Fighting continues along a 620-mile front line that cuts through Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions.
The potential exchange of prisoners could serve as a confidence-building measure in a conflict that has resisted multiple attempts at negotiated peace.
However, with key political figures still absent from the talks and underlying issues unresolved, the road to a ceasefire remains uncertain.
