Ukraine, Russia restart prisoner exchange talks with Turkish and UAE mediation

The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, said that consultations are being held through Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to restart the prisoner exchange with Russia.

Umerov stated, “As a result of the negotiations, the parties have agreed to reactivate the Istanbul agreements. The issue concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians.”

Noting that technical consultations will soon be held to clarify all procedural and organizational matters, Umerov added that Russian authorities have not yet commented on the issue.

Past exchanges

Following the third round of talks in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine had agreed on July 23 to a prisoner exchange based on a “1200 for 1200” formula.

Under this agreement, the parties exchanged 146 people on August 24 and 185 on October 2. In addition, Russia and Ukraine also returned twenty civilians each.

However, since that date, no information about new exchanges has been shared, and the contacts in Istanbul did not lead to progress in ending the war.

Suspended peace negotiations

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya announced on November 12 that peace negotiations with Russia had been suspended.

Kyslytsya claimed it was impossible to conduct a productive dialogue with a delegation “representing a dictator,” stating that this delegation “comes with an extremely rigid mandate and is forced to defend the position dictated to it.”

Ukraine had also been unable to persuade its international partners to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a face-to-face meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mutual accusations by the parties

The talks in Türkiye took place in May, June, and July. In these talks, Ukraine had demanded an unconditional ceasefire and a cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The Russian delegation, led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, did not agree to a ceasefire and reiterated Putin’s demands for full control over all five occupied regions and limitations on the size of the Ukrainian army.

Following Kyslytsya’s statements, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to restart bilateral negotiations in Türkiye, stating that “the ball is in Ukraine’s court.” The ministry claimed that Kyiv had not responded to the proposal to “create three working groups for the Istanbul process.”

Kyslytsya, referring to this initiative, stated that the Russians ignored efforts to discuss the matter seriously and proposed “creating WhatsApp groups” to convince the US that the negotiations were successful and thus avoid sanctions.

Fidan: The war is at its darkest moment

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on November 15 that the war in Ukraine is approaching its end.

Fidan noted that the conflict has entered its “darkest moment,” with both sides focused on destroying each other’s transportation and energy infrastructure, and said, “A stalemate has occurred. No one can advance anywhere; nothing can happen.”

Minister Fidan conveyed that European leaders such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who visited Ankara, hold a similar view.

Fidan emphasized his belief in a new round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, which could take place in Türkiye or elsewhere, but stressed that mediating parties must take action for this to happen.

The minister added, “We are working on this issue, and you will see the results soon.”