Russia and Ukraine agree on prisoner exchange
The second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without significant progress, but both sides have agreed on a prisoner exchange.
According to a BBC report, Ukrainian negotiators have said that Russia has once again rejected an “unconditional ceasefire,” one of Kiev’s key demands from Europe and the United States.
A member of the Russian delegation said they had proposed a limited ceasefire in some areas on the front lines for two to three days, but did not provide further details.
The report states that talks between the two sides lasted for an hour yesterday in the Turkish capital Istanbul and they agreed that all sick and seriously wounded prisoners of war, as well as those under the age of 25, would be exchanged.
Before these talks began, there was little hope of reaching an agreement or a complete ceasefire, as both sides disagreed on how to end the war that began between the two countries in February 2022.