Erdogan Pledges Continued Turkish Support for Ukraine-Russia Negotiations in Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ankara will continue facilitating a settlement between Ukraine and Russia and is ready to maintain Istanbul as a platform for ongoing negotiations, the Kremlin press service reported. “Erdogan expressed his intention to provide all possible assistance to the negotiation process and his readiness to continue offering Istanbul as a platform for these purposes,” the statement said.
The Istanbul talks have produced several key agreements since their inception. During the first two rounds on May 16 and June 2, Russia and Ukraine agreed on a prisoner exchange using a “1,000-for-1,000” format, including the swap of wounded and seriously ill detainees as well as soldiers under 25 years old. Following these rounds, Russia repatriated four groups of servicemen and returned an equal number of Ukrainian soldiers to Kiev. Additionally, Russia transferred 6,060 bodies of Ukrainian troops while receiving 78 Russian bodies in return. A subsequent exchange in July involved 1,000 more Ukrainian remains, with Russia receiving 19 Russian soldiers’ bodies.
The third round of talks on July 23 expanded exchanges to civilians and established proposals for three working groups focusing on political, military, and humanitarian issues. Russia also suggested resuming short humanitarian pauses along the frontline to recover wounded soldiers and bodies. Another exchange occurred on August 19, followed by the latest on October 23, when Russia handed over 1,000 Ukrainian bodies and received the remains of 31 Russian servicemen, according to presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. These ongoing exchanges underscore Istanbul’s role as a continuing hub for negotiation and humanitarian cooperation between the two sides.
