Russia Satisfied with Second Round of Ukraine Talks in Istanbul

The second round of direct peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine concluded at the Çırağa Palace in Istanbul on June 2. The meeting, which lasted just over an hour and was conducted in Russian, focused on prisoner exchanges, with particular emphasis put on the return of young individuals and the repatriation of fallen soldiers' remains.

"The Russian Federation and Ukraine discussed prisoner exchanges in detail, the outcomes will be announced officially," said representatives of the Russian delegation.

Ukrainian officials confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow agreed on the exchange of all seriously ill prisoners and individuals under the age of 25.

Russian Delegation Satisfied with Results of Talks with Ukraine – Medinsky

Ukraine has handed over to Russia the list of over 500 children, including about 50 who were taken from the Kherson regional orphanage to Crimea in the fall of 2022, Verstka said citing sources close to President Zelensky’s office and the investigation into the transfer of the children.

The list also includes children from a special-needs orphanage in Oleshky/Aleshki (named differently by the Ukrainian and Russian sides), which was disbanded after the city came under Russian control.

Speaking about the children, Medinsky said:

"There is not a single kidnapped child. The children were rescued by the Russian soldiers.”

These children, he claimed, were caught in crossfire and were evacuated.

Ukraine’s list contains 339 names — “not millions or thousands,” he noted — and Russia will “work through each one.”

Russia agrees to deliver the children to Ukraine, Medinsky said.

He also accused Ukraine of “putting on a show for sentimental Europeans,” saying that the Russian side returns children as soon as their legal guardians are found.

Erdogan: The Meeting Was Magnificent

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed satisfaction with the June 2 meeting, calling it "magnificent.” He welcomed the agreements reached on prisoner and body exchanges, describing the scale of the numbers as "very large.”

Erdoğan reiterated his desire for a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to take place in Istanbul or Ankara, possibly with US President Donald Trump also attending.

"Let's make Istanbul the center of peace,” he declared.

Following the talks, head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky addressed the press. He announced that a conflict resolution memorandum had been handed to the Ukrainian side, consisting of two detailed parts. Medinsky also confirmed Russia's agreement to unilaterally transfer 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv next week.

He highlighted that the negotiations resulted in what he called the most extensive prisoner exchange to date. Seriously wounded and ill prisoners will be exchanged on an "all for all" basis. To facilitate this, both sides will establish a commission to handle such exchanges without political interference. Medinsky also mentioned Russia's proposal for a temporary ceasefire of two to three days in specific frontline areas to allow for the retrieval of fallen soldiers.

Russia has now received Ukraine's version of the peace memorandum. Discussions on both sides' proposals continue.

Russia-Ukraine Dialogue Progressing

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine has been announced, a Russian delegation source told TASS, confirming that the dialogue is progressing. Ukrainian delegation leader and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov proposed that the next meeting be held before the end of June. However, he noted that no agreement had yet been reached on an unconditional ceasefire or a potential summit between the countries' presidents.