Russia and Ukraine Hold First Direct Peace Talks Since 2022

The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in over three years were held in Instanbul on Friday. 

The Details: The talks ended with a large prisoner swap agreement but no ceasefire. Russia's Vladimir Medinsky said he was “satisfied with the outcome,” and Moscow was ready to continue contacts. Ukrainian sources said the other demands from Russia were “non-starters” and “detached from reality.” Russian media outlet RT (Lean Right bias) reported, “Ukraine’s demands for a higher-level Russian delegation are hard to understand, former Turkish diplomat Gulru Gezer has told RT, stressing that it’s not how negotiations work, or have ever worked in the history of diplomacy,” adding that the Russian delegation waited all day for its counterparts to arrive. In contrast, the Wall Street Journal (Center) said, “Zelensky, who unlike Putin accepted Trump’s call for an unconditional 30-day cease-fire, arrived in Turkey on Thursday with Ukraine’s entire national-security leadership.” 

For Context: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine's top priority was a “full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire.” The Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian delegation was headed by former culture minister Vladimir Lewinsky.

How The Media Covered It: The New York Post (Lean Right) emphasized the lack of progress and the unrealistic demands from Russia. The New York Times (Lean Left) pointed out that “Despite encouraging the talks earlier in the week, Mr. Trump undercut them in comments on Thursday, saying 'nothing is going to happen' until he meets with Mr. Putin.” RT said, “Zelensky, who had previously ruled out any talks with Moscow, only agreed to attend following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his support for the talks, and his claim that Kiev should accept it 'immediately.'”

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