India, May 16 -- Russian and Ukrainian officials met face-to-face for about two hours on Friday (16 May 2025) in Istanbul, marking their first direct talks in over three years. Hopes for a breakthrough remained low, but the two sides agreed on a major prisoner exchange.

After the meeting, head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said both countries agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each - their largest swap since the war began in 2022.

Medinsky also confirmed that Russia and Ukraine would now share written proposals for a possible ceasefire.

Ukraine has called for a meeting between the two heads of state. Medinsky said Russia would consider the request and is willing to continue negotiations.

This was the first direct ...