On May 16, 2025, Ukraine and Russia opened their first direct negotiations in three years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin were on the steps of the Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. Facilitated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the in-person discussions sought to end long-standing enmities and pursue paths toward reconciliation. Despite the meeting’s hopeful scene setting, there were still deep rifts between the two countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed a strong commitment to peace, stating on social media that Ukraine is “ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace.” His optimism was immediately tempered by a dose of caution injected by other parties negotiating the agreement. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio returned from Istanbul with little doubt as to the outcome of the negotiations. He noted that the results were not what we hoped for.
“We came because we were told that there might be a direct engagement between the Russians and the Ukrainians; that was originally the plan,” – Marco Rubio
Rubio’s comments were an admission of defeat on just how far the conversations ever stretched. U.S. Vice President JD Vance wasn’t mincing words either. He told journalists that Russia was “requesting more than it could give” in its offers to settle the nearly nine-month-old war.
The Russian negotiation team, headed by chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky showed no signs of following any sort of conciliatory line in talks. Then Medinsky characterized the meeting as a positive first step while insisting that an unconditional ceasefire was not in the cards. He stated, “We are satisfied with the outcome and ready to continue our contacts.”
Of all the few successes touted by Ukrainian officials, the greatest could be a new potential for a massive prisoner swap. Heorhii Tykhyi, who leads the Ukrainian delegation, brought an outstanding piece of news. He noted that a deal on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange deal would be the greatest success.
“If we managed to agree on 1,000 for 1,000 exchange we think this was already worth it,” – Heorhii Tykhyi
The panels looked ahead, with a heavy focus on a potential summit meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky. The shape of a possible ceasefire soon became a second major issue that would require continued discussion. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine concede to territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which they do not currently control. This unreasonable precondition has become a major hurdle in the tragic stalemate.
Ukrainian officials took great pains to highlight their readiness to come to a ceasefire without preconditions. Zelensky added that if Russia is against a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire, then it has to be liable. He repeated the need to make military escalation an excuse for expanding sanctions.
“If the Russians reject a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings, tough sanctions must follow,” – Volodymyr Zelensky
Yet for all these conversations, Ukraine was limited by a tough mandate for their negotiators. Head of Delegation First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya reported to press that while progress had been made, it was still in need of consolidation.
“The tentative success of today’s negotiations is still to be consolidated,” – Sergiy Kyslytsya
