The direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul concluded with an agreement for a prisoner exchange in the format of “one thousand for one thousand.”

This came at the end of a round of negotiations that included delegations from the United States and Turkey, amid increasing international pressure to end the conflict that has persisted since 2022.

Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky stated that this is the largest prisoner exchange between the two sides since the beginning of the conflict.

He also added that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to exchange detailed proposals regarding a ceasefire, noting that Ukraine requested a meeting between the two presidents and that Russia would take this request into consideration.