The recent peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul ended on Monday without achieving a significant breakthrough, as both sides were unable to reach consensus on the highly sought-after unconditional ceasefire.
Nonetheless, they successfully negotiated a deal to exchange all sick and severely injured prisoners of war, including those under 25, and pledged to return the bodies of 12,000 deceased soldiers.
Ukrainian representatives indicated that Russia again rejected their proposal for an “unconditional ceasefire,” a key demand from Kyiv and its Western allies. Instead, the Russian delegation suggested a temporary truce in select areas along the front line for two to three days, lacking further elaboration.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, leading Kyiv’s negotiating team, emphasised the necessity for a “full and unconditional ceasefire” across all domains for a minimum of 30 days to “halt the killings immediately.” He pointed out that Ukraine had submitted its truce proposal days ahead of the meeting, while Russia only proposed theirs during the discussions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected Moscow’s suggestion of a limited ceasefire, stating, “I think ‘idiots’, because the whole point of a ceasefire is to stop people from becoming dead,” in a post on social media platform X.
Neither party has made their ceasefire proposals public, although Russian state media has laid out Moscow’s demands, which include Ukraine’s military withdrawal from partially occupied regions and recognition of Russian control over these areas and Crimea. Additional conditions consist of restrictions on Ukraine’s military, a ban on NATO membership, the designation of Russian as an official language, and the removal of all international sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia confirmed Russia’s dismissal of the ceasefire and revealed that Kyiv had submitted a list of hundreds of children allegedly taken to Russia by force.
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