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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Qarabağ FK is facing Ajax in a key Champions League league phase match at the Tofiq Bəhramov Stadium in Baku.
Uzbekistan will introduce a nationwide system to assess the resilience of officials and civil service candidates to corruption risks from 2026, according to a presidential decree adopted this week.
Military coups have reappeared across West Africa and the Sahel. Recent events in Guinea-Bissau and coup attempt in Benin add to a growing list of abrupt power shifts over the past five years.
Hate speech targeting Muslims and Christians in India surged by 74% in 2024, driven by election-season rhetoric and unrest in neighboring Bangladesh, according to a new report from the India Hate Lab, a Washington-based research organization.
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Pressure is mounting between Venezuela and the United States as both nations emphasise military preparedness and strategic positioning.
Iran and Saudi Arabia reiterated their commitment to enhance ties following a joint meeting with China in Tehran on Tuesday to follow up on implementation of the 2023 Beijing Agreement which resulted in resumption of their diplomatic relations after eight years.
Tanzania's government warned on Monday that protests scheduled for Tuesday would be illegal and amounted to an attempted coup, as security forces were heavily deployed in major cities.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
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Hungary’s move to secure guaranteed Russian gas transit through Türkiye has stabilised a key supply corridor, but the country’s continued reliance on Moscow raises questions.
Ukraine faces a narrowing diplomatic space as pressure builds around U.S. backed peace proposals, warning that the structure of the conflict may leave little room to avoid difficult territorial choices.
Democracies must be prepared to fight for freedom in order to survive, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Wednesday, in a speech delivered by her daughter during a ceremony Machado could not attend.
The possibility of restricting social media access for children is a hot topic in the European Union and the United Kingdom, after Australia implemented a world-first ban for those under 16. Lawmakers have labelled the ban a “real-world test” of how far governments can go to protect young people.
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