Russia and Ukraine held a brief 40-minute meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday, discussing further prisoner exchanges but failing to make progress on a ceasefire or summit between their presidents.
Ukraine's chief delegate Rustem Umerov, confirmed some humanitarian progress, such as plans for additional prisoners of war (POW) swaps and the return of deported children, but said Moscow remained resistant to a broader cessation of hostilities.
Umerov added, "By agreeing to this proposal, Russia can clearly demonstrate its constructive approach."
Ukraine proposed a meeting between Presidents Volodymr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin by the end of August, aligning with U.S. President Donald Trump's 50-day ultimatum for a peace deal.
However, Russia’s chief delegate Vladimir Medinsky said a leaders’ summit should only happen to finalize an agreement, not to renegotiate terms.
While Ukraine pushes for a long-term ceasefire, Russia suggested short 24–48-hour halts to recover bodies.
They agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war from each side.
Medinsky claimed Russia is working to return 339 Ukrainian children and offered to hand over 3,000 Ukrainian corpses, denying abduction allegations.
"Some of the children have already been returned back to Ukraine. Work is under way on the rest. If their legal parents, close relatives, representatives are found, these children will immediately return home," Medinsky said.
Despite hopes, the Kremlin downplayed expectations before the meeting, and the session ended as the shortest yet—underscoring the gulf between the two sides.
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The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Kazakhstan's energy ministry.
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasefire came under renewed strain.
This September, I had a chance to visit Yerevan for the 108th edition of the Rose-Roth seminar, traditionally held by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 1990 and intended for post-socialist countries.
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A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
A large fire at the import cargo complex of Dhaka airport has caused significant damage to goods and materials belonging to key garment exporters, with losses and impacts on trade potentially amounting to millions of dollars, according to industry leaders on Sunday.
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Kazakhstan's energy ministry.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French government said.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.
Millions of Americans took to the streets for “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states, denouncing what they called the corruption and authoritarianism of President Donald Trump.
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