Ukraine wants to move on to the topic of the leadersʼ meeting in negotiations with Russia

Ukraine plans to move on to the topic of a leadersʼ meeting at negotiations with Russia after the conclusion of discussions on humanitarian issues. No compromise was found on the topic of a ceasefire.

This was stated to journalists by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, a Babel correspondent reports.

Russia insists on ultimatums that Ukraine cannot accept, so reaching a compromise on a ceasefire is impossible.

"Ukraine has always remained consistent in its pursuit of peace. We supported the US initiative for a complete ceasefire from the very beginning and proved this with many rounds of negotiations. But any dialogue is possible only without ultimatums and with respect for the sovereignty of our state," Umerov noted.

According to the defense minister, Russia can use humanitarian issues, such as the exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of the bodies of the dead, to avoid sanctions.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia

On May 16, 2025, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 were held in Istanbul. The meeting lasted a little over an hour. According to journalists, Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from a number of territories to ensure a ceasefire and threatened to occupy the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that at the meeting, the Ukrainian and Russian sides discussed a prisoner exchange in the "1 000 for 1 000" format and a ceasefire. The parties reached an agreement on the exchange — three prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place.

On May 19, Trump spoke with Putin, as well as with Zelensky and a number of European leaders. Putin said after the conversation that he was ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that includes a ceasefire. Trump says that Russia and Ukraine “will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war”.

A large exchange in several stages was agreed upon at negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2. It was there that the parties decided to focus on exchanges in the "all-for-all" format by categories: seriously wounded and seriously ill, and young people aged 18 to 25.

Several stages of prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place — June 9, 10, 12,14, 19, 20, and 26.

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