Ukraine war talks yield POW swap, but no truce

Russia and Ukraine agreed a large-scale captive exchange, said they would commercialized ideas connected a imaginable ceasefire and discussed a imaginable gathering betwixt Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin successful their archetypal nonstop talks successful implicit 3 years connected Friday.

But coming retired of the highly anticipated talks successful Istanbul, which lasted conscionable implicit 90 minutes, determination were fewer signs of much important advancement toward ending the three-year war.

Kyiv was seeking an "unconditional ceasefire" to intermission a struggle that has destroyed ample swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow has consistently rebuffed those calls, and the lone factual statement appeared to beryllium a woody to speech 1,000 prisoners each.

The 2 sides said they would "present their imaginativeness of a imaginable aboriginal ceasefire", according to Russia's apical negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky.

They did not hold immoderate suspension to the fighting.

Russia said it had besides taken enactment of Ukraine's petition for a gathering of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelensky.

"Overall, we are satisfied with the results and acceptable to proceed contacts," Medinsky said.

Ukraine's apical negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said the "next step" would beryllium a gathering betwixt Putin and Zelensky.

"We recognize that if we privation to marque progress, we request to person this meeting of leaders," Ukrainian overseas ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy aboriginal said, praising the captive swap arsenic a "great result".

- Putin 'afraid' -

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who presided implicit the meeting, said the sides had "agreed successful rule to conscionable again" and would contiguous ceasefire ideas "in writing".

Fidan sat astatine the caput of a array successful beforehand of Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags astatine Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace for the talks -- with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the country showed.

But advancement connected much cardinal issues appeared minimal.

Tykhy said Russia had raised a fig of "unacceptable demands", with a root telling AFP that Russia had demanded Kyiv springiness up much territory -- a strategy it said was designed to derail the negotiations.

Nevertheless, the information the gathering took spot astatine each was a motion of movement, with some sides having travel nether dependable unit from Washington to unfastened talks.

Putin declined to question to Turkey for the meeting, sending a second-tier squad instead.

Zelensky said Putin was "afraid" of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks "seriously".

Speaking astatine a European acme successful Albania, the Ukrainian person urged a "strong reaction" from the satellite if the talks failed, including caller sanctions.

The 2 sides spent 24 hours slinging insults astatine each different earlier the meeting, with Zelensky accusing Moscow of sending "empty heads" to the negotiating table.

Both Moscow and Washington person besides talked up the request for a gathering betwixt Putin and US President Donald Trump connected the conflict.

The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Britain and Poland held a telephone telephone with Trump connected Friday, Zelensky's spokesperson said, without elaborating.

Trump has said "nothing's going to happen" connected the struggle until helium meets Putin face-to-face.

- 'Unacceptable demands' -

Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian officials successful Istanbul held meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's peculiar envoy Keith Kellogg and the nationalist information advisors of Britain, France and Germany.

Rubio urged a "peaceful" extremity to the warfare and said "the sidesplitting needs to stop", according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

While the talks were ongoing, a Ukrainian root told AFP that Russia was advancing hardline territorial demands.

Moscow claims annexation of 5 Ukrainian regions -- 4 since its 2022 invasion, and Crimea, which it annexed successful 2014.

"Russian representatives are putting guardant unacceptable demands... specified arsenic for Ukraine to retreat forces from ample parts of Ukrainian territory it controls successful bid for a ceasefire to begin," the root said.

They accused Moscow of seeking to "throw non-starters" truthful the talks extremity "without immoderate results".

Another root acquainted with the talks said Russia had threatened to seizure Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Both regions borderline Russia and were invaded by Moscow's service astatine the commencement of the conflict, though Russia has not antecedently made ceremonial territorial claims implicit them.

Russia has repeatedly said it volition not sermon giving up immoderate territory that its forces occupy, and Putin past twelvemonth called for Kyiv to retreat from parts of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions that it inactive controls.

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