'BIGGEST prisoner swap in over 3 years': What was discussed during Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

Russian and Ukraine officials held direct talks in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday (May 16) for the first time in more than three years, trying to make negotiations for bringing lasting peace.

However, there was no sign of a major breakthrough, according to a Ukrainian source. The source added that Russian delegation demanded that Kyiv give up land under its control.

Notably, neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky nor Russia President Vladimir Putin were involved in the talks. While US President Donald Trump also skipped the talks.

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What all happened during the talks?

Ukraine and Russia agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap during the two hour long talks, the head of Ukraine’s delegation said in an interview.

“We discussed an exchange of 1,000 for 1,000. We are also working on other modalities for this exchange,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told Suspilne.

“(The exchange will take place) in the near future; we already know the date, but we will not disclose it yet,” he added.

If it happens, it will be the biggest prisoner swap in more than three years of the Russia-Ukraine war.

While, Russia confirmed the prisoner swap, saying that each country will “present its vision of a possible future ceasefire."

Further, Kremlin added that the discussions will continue after “each side will present its vision of a possible future ceasefire, detailing it in writing.”

A Ukrainian official accused Russia of introducing new "unacceptable demands" for Kyiv to withdraw its forces from huge swathes of territory, the official said on condition of anonymity.

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Zelenskyy, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, British prime minister Keir Starmer and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk held a telephone call with US President Donald Trump.

This came after the Russian and Ukrainian officials held peace talks in Istanbul.

All leaders agreed that the Russian position in peace talks was “unacceptable” and had discussed the matter with US president Donald Trump.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also said that a ceasefire as well as potential direct talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky were also discussed during the talks.