Turkish FM: second round of Russia-Ukraine talks held in 'constructive atmosphere'

Russia and Ukraine have made progress toward peace during the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, agreeing on an expanded humanitarian exchange and moving closer to a ceasefire, Turkish FM Hakan Fidan said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan praised the "constructive atmosphere" of the second Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, saying the “parties built on the points they had agreed upon during the first meeting.”

He said on X that the parties agreed on an "expanded" humanitarian exchange, shared memorandums reflecting their perspectives on the ceasefire and settlement, and agreed to begin technical-level work on these texts in the coming days.

The parties also decided to continue preparations for a possible meeting at the leaders' level, he added.

"Guided by the collective will of our leaders, the result-oriented approach displayed by both sides to end the losses caused by the war is commendable," Fidan said.

“In this historic process, I would like to once again thank both countries for their trust in Türkiye.”

The second round of negotiations lasted for over an hour.

Russia was represented by a delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while Ukraine's delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.​​​​​​​

The two sides agreed to swap all seriously wounded and sick prisoners, as well as prisoners of war under age 25.

Istanbul hosted the previous round of talks on May 16, resulting in the largest prisoner swap between the two countries since the start of the conflict in February 2022.

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