### Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Yield Limited Progress with Prisoner Exchange Agreement

The recent round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded with minor progress, focusing only on the agreement to exchange more prisoners of war. Held in Istanbul on Monday, the talks did not result in a major breakthrough, as both nations remain deeply divided on essential issues.

During the negotiations, Ukrainian officials reiterated their demand for an "unconditional ceasefire," a proposal strongly supported by its allies in Europe and the US. However, this crucial request was turned down by the Russian delegation. Instead, Russia suggested a limited truce of two to three days in selected areas along the front line but provided no additional specifics.

The discussions, which lasted just over an hour, did secure a deal to exchange all sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well as those aged under 25. Both sides also agreed that Russia would transfer the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv the following week. Despite this, the meeting highlighted the wide gap between the two parties on how to end the conflict that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized Kyiv's insistence on a "full and unconditional ceasefire" for at least 30 days to halt the ongoing violence. Ukraine had submitted its ceasefire proposals to Russia several days before the talks, but Russia only presented its plan during the meeting. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia confirmed Russia's rejection of the unconditional ceasefire.

Adding to the list of grievances, Ukraine handed over a record of hundreds of children it claims were forcefully taken to Russia. Ukrainian negotiators are now waiting for Russia's response to their proposals by the end of June and are pushing for direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, although there are currently no signs of such a meeting taking place.

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, confirmed the prisoner exchange agreement but did not provide a specific timeline. He reiterated Russia's preference for discussing "lasting peace," echoing demands that Ukraine and its allies view as unacceptable and equated to surrender.

The texts of both ceasefire proposals remain unpublished. Nonetheless, Russian state media reports that Moscow's demands include the withdrawal of Ukrainian military forces from the four regions in the southeast that Russia partially occupies, along with demobilization of Ukrainian soldiers.

While attending a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, President Zelensky highlighted the urgency of enhancing Ukraine's defense in light of Russia's lack of meaningful signals toward ending the war. He also urged for increased sanctions pressure on Russia.

In the first round of peace talks held on May 16, Ukraine and Russia also failed to reconcile their differences, agreeing only to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each. President Zelensky and his European allies accused Russia of dragging its feet in negotiations to claim more Ukrainian territory. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump—advocating for a swift resolution—has yet to implement stringent sanctions against Russia. Last month, Trump criticized Putin as "absolutely crazy" after significant drone and missile attacks by Russia on Ukraine, to which the Kremlin responded by accusing Trump of showing "emotional overload."