**Ukraine’s President Reviews Istanbul Talks with Top Officials**
On May 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top officials to discuss the outcome of negotiations held in Istanbul last week. The talks were the first direct encounter between Ukrainian and Russian delegations since 2022.
During the meeting, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov briefed Zelensky on the discussion. According to Zelensky, the most tangible result of the talks was an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from each side. Ukraine’s Security Service has already begun preparatory steps to facilitate the transfer.
The Russian delegation at the peace talks consisted solely of lower-ranking officials, despite the Kremlin proposing the discussions. Zelensky said that all attempts by Russia to threaten Ukraine were rejected during the negotiations.
**Key Points from the Istanbul Talks**
* The Ukrainian delegation managed to keep the conversation within a decent framework.
* An agreement was reached on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from each side.
* Ukraine insisted on the need for a complete and unconditional ceasefire to save lives and provide a basis for diplomacy.
* Russia pushed Kyiv to withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts – all of which Moscow claimed to annex in 2022.
**Zelensky’s Message**
“We are ready for this. Ukraine is not afraid of direct negotiations with Russia,” Zelensky said. He also announced the formation of a “permanent expanded national negotiating group” to work alongside international partners, whom he thanked for their support.
Despite calls for diplomacy, Russia escalated its attacks over the weekend, including the war’s largest drone assault on May 18. The same day, Zelensky met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican to discuss sanctions, diplomacy, and battlefield coordination.
**Trump’s Role**
President Trump is scheduled to speak with Putin on May 19. He has said he will follow up with calls to Zelensky and NATO leaders. “Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war — a war that should have never happened — will end,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on May 17.
The next few days are crucial in determining the fate of Ukraine-Russia negotiations. Will the Istanbul talks mark the beginning of a new chapter in diplomacy, or will tensions escalate further? Only time will tell.
