Istanbul, 24 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Russia and Ukraine have agreed on another prisoner exchange during their negotiations in Turkey, with each side to hand over 1,200 prisoners, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told journalists in Istanbul after the talks on Wednesday evening.

Medinsky stated that severely injured individuals are also to be exchanged along the front.

Ukraine confirmed the planned continuation of the exchanges but did not specify any concrete numbers.

Medinsky said that Russia has also offered the return of 3,000 more Ukrainian fallen soldiers. According to him, Moscow has already handed over some 7,000 bodies.

The Russian presidential adviser and former culture minister praised the implementation of the previous agreements, saying, "All agreements from the last time were adhered to."

Nearly three and a half years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, representatives of both countries resumed their recently stalled direct talks in Istanbul.

Latest exchange takes place as talks held

Russia and Ukraine completed the final prisoner exchange agreed at the last round of talks on the same day as the latest talks.

"Currently, the Russian soldiers are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus," the Ministry of Defence in Moscow announced on Telegram.

Medinsky said that 250 prisoners of war were exchanged on each side. In total, the number of those exchanged amounts to over 2,400.

Shortly afterwards, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the latest exchange. "Today, the ninth round of exchanges agreed upon in Istanbul has already taken place," the head of state wrote on Telegram.

More than 1,000 Ukrainians have been returned by the Russians, he said.

Brief and concise meeting

Television footage showed delegations from both sides gathered at the Çırağan Palace on the Bosporus.

The talks, scheduled for 7 pm (1600 GMT), began with a delay of nearly an hour and a half. Prior to this, the two chief negotiators had met for a brief one-on-one discussion. The meeting in the larger group lasted only 40 minutes.

Low expectations in advance

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said before the start of the negotiations that the ultimate goal was a ceasefire that would pave the way to peace. However, a breakthrough in this third round of negotiations was considered unlikely in advance.

Zelensky had tempered expectations. For Kiev, the expansion of the prisoner exchange and the return of children that Russia had abducted from the occupied territories were priorities, he said on Tuesday.

On the day of the negotiations, he stated in his video message that Ukraine would also demand an "immediate and complete ceasefire."

The Russian leadership has been rejecting this demand for months. US President Donald Trump had made a corresponding proposal in March.

Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected this, arguing that the Ukrainians would use the ceasefire to rearm and reposition their troops.

Nevertheless, the Kremlin had stated that it expected Wednesday's meeting to bring the previously opposing positions of Moscow and Kiev closer regarding the conditions for a ceasefire. However, "great diplomatic work" was needed for this, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Negotiators know each other

The chief negotiator of the Ukrainian team was once again the former defence minister and newly appointed secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov.

Medinsky, who led the Russian side, wore a T-shirt with the inscription "Putin Team" upon his arrival in Turkey.

According to information from Ankara, the head of the Turkish intelligence service MIT, İbrahim Kalın, and the chief of the general staff, Metin Gürak, also participated in the talks.

Many open disputes remain

Apparently, no agreement has been reached on further issues so far.

Umerov stated at his press conference that his delegation had proposed to the Russians to hold a summit between Zelensky, Putin, Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by the end of August.

Meanwhile, Medinsky said that a meeting at the presidential level should serve not for negotiations but for their conclusion. Therefore, he said there must be agreement on the paths to peace beforehand.

A short-term ceasefire proposed by Russia, lasting between 24 and 48 hours at individual front sections, was reportedly rejected by Ukraine. A ceasefire must be genuine and include a halt to attacks on infrastructure and civilians, Umerov said, clarifying Kiev's position.

However, both sides expect the negotiations to continue.

Moscow and Kiev resumed direct talks in May for the first time since 2022.

Photo: EPA