Ukraine and Russia to work on exchanging details for ceasefire – Umerov
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, following negotiations with the Russian delegation in Istanbul, confirmed that the two sides exchanged views on the modalities for a ceasefire.
He made the statement during a briefing with journalists in Istanbul, Censor.NET reports, citing Interfax-Ukraine.
"Our priority was people… We reached an agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. This is an important achievement and once again demonstrates that we are focused on ending this war. The second objective was to discuss a ceasefire," Umerov said.
The minister added that the sides exchanged views on the modalities, and that the Ukrainian and Russian teams will now work on sharing details.
Talks in Turkey
On the night of May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Turkey on May 15.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine must immediately agree to Russia’s proposal for direct talks in Turkey.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would personally wait for Putin on May 15. He also noted that he would like Trump to be present in Turkey as well.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin officially approved the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul on May 15 for negotiations with Ukraine.
On May 15, the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukraine.
It was later reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for negotiations with the Russian side.
Russian media later reported that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul had been rescheduled for May 16.
On the evening of May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the negotiation process with the Russian Federation in Türkiye, scheduled for May 15–16.
On May 16, in the second half of the day, a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations began, with participation from the Turkish side.
Less than two hours after it began, the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye in Istanbul on May 16 concluded.
