Ukraine and Russia held talks for the first time in three years, but the ceasefire is still not in effect
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations met at the negotiating table for the first time since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. They agreed to exchange a thousand prisoners of war from each side and to draw up a plan for further talks, but there is still no agreement on the start of an immediate ceasefire lasting at least 30 days. The talks were mediated by Turkey in Istanbul and took place at a lower level. President Volodymyr Zelensky insists on direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin and emphasizes that the delegation in Istanbul had the authority to negotiate a ceasefire and that it is Moscow that is blocking this step. This is shown by constant attacks on the front line and against Ukrainian cities. Two days after the talks in Turkey, the aggressor carried out its largest drone attack in Ukraine to date, sending 273 drones, according to the country's defenders. At least one person was killed.
It could have been the beginning of a promising end to the Ukrainian conflict. At least, the first meeting took place, albeit at a lower level. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Istanbul and theoretically also with US President Donald Trump, who was in the region at the time. However, Putin did not accept Zelensky's invitation and did not even send Foreign Minister Lavrov to Turkey. Instead, he sent his adviser Vladimir Medinsky with a diplomatic team, while the Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. This was the first official meeting between the two sides since 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We agreed that each side will present its vision for a possible future ceasefire and describe it in detail. After presenting such a vision, we believe that it would be appropriate, as also agreed, to continue our talks," Russian chief negotiator Medinsky told reporters after the 100-minute meeting.
Umerov briefly commented on talks with Russians, no details. MFA spox Tykhyi: RF demands unacceptable, but Ukraine was prepared. Istanbul talks’ details won’t be disclosed. pic.twitter.com/5oJys81AKm
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) May 16, 2025
A prisoner exchange of 1,000 on each side was negotiated, but the delegations failed to agree on any form of ceasefire. According to the Ukrainian side, this was due to Russian blockades and unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire. However, according to sources from the negotiations, Russia's war aims were to be repeated, including formal recognition of Crimea and the occupied parts of Ukraine in the south and east of the country as part of Russia. However, the US-brokered proposal only mentioned recognition of Crimea, not the rest of Ukraine, as Russian. Moscow also demands neutral status for Ukraine and an official ban on the presence of any foreign armies.
"Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to establish real peace, and it is important for the world to take a firm stance," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media in response. "If the Russians refuse a complete and unconditional ceasefire and an end to the killing, tough sanctions must follow. Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war." The European Union is already preparing another package of sanctions, which is expected to target the non-functioning Nord Stream 1 and 2 oil pipelines and further sanctions on the Russian financial sector.
The situation on the battlefield and in the rest of Ukraine also demonstrates that the Russians have no significant interest in peace talks. In the Donetsk region, the occupiers continue to push towards Pokrovsk, taking advantage of the favorable spring weather conditions for fighting, which, according to experts, may be one of the reasons why Moscow is not rushing into ceasefire negotiations. On the contrary, it continues to launch increasingly intense attacks against Ukrainian cities, especially in the border regions of Sumy and Kharkiv, as well as in Kherson, Odesa, and Kyiv. In the capital, at least one civilian has died in the largest Russian drone attack since the start of the war. Ukrainian air defenses counted a total of 273 drones, with airstrikes also hitting Dnipro and the Donetsk region in addition to the capital. In Kyiv, a 28-year-old woman was killed and at least three others injured, including a four-year-old child.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 273 Shahed drones and various types of imitation drones last night.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 18, 2025
A 28-year-old woman was killed and three other people were injured, including a 4-year-old child, as a result of a massive Russian attack on Kyiv region.
▪️ A 59-year-old man, a… pic.twitter.com/NmHALxrS67
"It was a difficult night. The Russians have always used war and attacks to intimidate everyone they deal with," wrote Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, on Telegram. The domestic air defense forces managed to shoot down 88 of the aggressor's unmanned aerial vehicles, and 128 simulation drones used to divert attention also took off. The day before the largest drone attack to date, Russian forces attacked a minibus in the Sumy region, killing nine people, mostly elderly women who had been evacuating from the heavily shelled village of Bilopilija.
