After a week of uncertainty regarding a meeting between Zelenski and Putin in Turkey, it has finally been the delegations of Ukraine and Russia who are holding their first direct meeting on the war in Istanbul this Friday since 2022.
Early on Friday, there was a first meeting between Ukraine, Turkey, and the US, attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for an end to "the massacre."
And after 12:30, the main meeting of the day began with representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey. The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umérov, while the Russian delegation is led by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinski, who, before the meeting, met with Michael Anton, a senior official from the US State Department.
Kiev will insist on achieving a 30-day ceasefire, the return of kidnapped children, and an exchange of prisoners of war.
Vladimir Putin's refusal to personally attend the meeting has dashed hopes of significant progress. This is how former President Donald Trump interpreted it, stating that he is willing to meet with the Russian president "as soon as we can organize it." This proposal was deemed "extremely important" by the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Europe is already preparing a new sanctions package against Russia. It will be the 18th since the start of the invasion of Ukraine and, for the first time, will include a very important aspect: the "prohibition" of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which had been previously overlooked.
Russia Sentences Australian to 13 Years in Prison for Fighting on Ukraine's Side
Russia has sentenced an Australian citizen to 13 years in a maximum-security prison for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, state prosecutors reported on Friday in a part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia.
Oscar Jenkins, 33, was found guilty by a court of participating in armed conflict as a mercenary, according to a statement from the prosecution.
The court ruled that Jenkins took part in combat operations against Russian troops between March and December 2024. Australian media reported last year that Jenkins, a teacher from Melbourne, was serving with the Ukrainian army when captured by Russian forces.
Russia's Demands Go Beyond Previous Discussions, According to Ukraine
Russia's demands are disconnected from reality and go much further than anything previously discussed, declared a Ukrainian diplomatic source on Friday describing the talks between representatives of both countries in Istanbul.
"Russia's demands are disconnected from reality and go much further than anything previously discussed. They include ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from its territory in exchange for a ceasefire, in addition to other unacceptable and unconstructive conditions," said the source to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"Ukraine is ready for a real ceasefire and to move forward in a genuine peace process, without any preconditions."
Zelenski Insists Ceasefire is the Priority in Talks
Volodymyr Zelenski reiterated on Friday that Ukraine's main priority in talks with Russia in Istanbul is to secure an unconditional ceasefire to lay the groundwork for future peace agreements. In a meeting of the European Political Community in Tirana, Zelenski told other leaders that it is also essential to build trust in the negotiation process through the release of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children from Russia, Reuters reports.
"Our number one priority is a total, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even accept that, a ceasefire... then it will be completely clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy," he stated.
Zelenski also called for a response that includes sanctions on Russia's energy and banking sectors if the delegation sent by the Kremlin to negotiate with Kiev does not agree to declare a ceasefire of at least 30 days.
Bodies of 909 Fallen Soldiers Return to Ukraine
Ukraine announced on Friday the return of the remains of 909 fallen soldiers to its territory who were in Russian custody, in a new exchange coinciding with direct peace talks between both sides being held in Istanbul.
According to the Ukrainian state body responsible for the fallen and prisoners of war, the International Committee of the Red Cross mediated between the parties as usual to ensure the transfer of bodies, Efe reports.
Ukrainian authorities will identify the bodies and then hand them over to their families for burial. According to Russian deputy Shamsail Saraliev, a representative of the coordination group of the Russian Duma (House of Deputies) responsible for the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities returned the bodies of 34 Russian soldiers.
Exchanges of soldiers and the remains of fallen soldiers whose bodies were left in enemy hands are some of the goodwill gestures proposed to build trust for negotiations between both sides.
Russian Negotiating Team in Istanbul
The Russian delegation in the negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul is led by Vladimir Medinski, presidential advisor who previously led the Russian team in the talks held in the Turkish city in 2022.
In addition to Medinski, the Russian negotiators in these new talks are Deputy Minister of Defense Alexandr Fomin; Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, and the head of the General Staff Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, Igor Kostiukov. Fomin, 65, has been Deputy Minister of Defense since 2017. Previously, he served as the director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Efe reports.
The general, who also was part of the delegation in talks with Ukraine three years ago, oversees military cooperation matters and compliance with Russian obligations under international treaties, according to his official biography. Awarded several state distinctions, Fomin speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
According to Russian experts, the inclusion of Fomin in the list of Russian negotiators proves the importance of military matters to be discussed with Ukraine during the talks in Istanbul.
The other Russian negotiator, Galuzin, is a career diplomat who has been Deputy Foreign Minister since 2022. Previously the ambassador of his country to Japan, he now focuses on Moscow's relations with former Soviet countries.
Meanwhile, Kostiukov has been the head of the Russian military intelligence service (GRU) since 2018. According to Ukrainian media, he is a trusted man of Putin and his "shadow," overseeing Moscow's most secret operations worldwide.
Russia Claims to Have Taken Six Localities in Ukraine in the Last Week
The Russian Army took six localities in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk annexed by Russia in 2022 over the past seven days, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported in its weekly war update.
"As a result of the intense actions of the units of the Zapad (West) military group, the locality of Torske in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated," stated the Russian military command.
These localities, including Kotliarivka, Miroliubivka, Mijailivka, and Novoaleksandrivka, were taken by the Tsentr (Center) military group as part of Russian efforts to capture the important logistical hub of Pokrovsk.
Finally, the Vostok (East) military group took the locality of Vilne Pole.
"Every Day We Lose Means Losing Lives"
"We must move towards peace. Every day we lose means losing lives. There is an opportunity for a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing," stated Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the start of the meeting.
Fidan stated that "there are two paths: one towards peace, the other towards destruction" during his speech to inaugurate the meeting at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations.
Russia and Ukraine Open First Negotiations in Istanbul Since 2022
Russia and Ukraine have started their first direct talks since March-April 2022 in the same city of Istanbul, with Turkish mediation.