Concrete Agreement Reached on Prisoner Exchange Involving 2,000 Individuals
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, is delivering a speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York last September. Photo by Yonhap News
Russia, which sat down with Ukraine for the first time in three years for ceasefire negotiations, stated that if it does not get what it wants, it could wage war forever.
The Washington Post reported on May 16 (local time) that Russia did not hesitate to threaten Ukraine during the bilateral delegation talks held in Istanbul, T?rkiye.
The negotiations, which began in a subdued atmosphere after a trilateral summit between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia failed to materialize, ended after just 90 minutes, with both sides only confirming stark differences on key issues.
According to anonymous sources, Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Kremlin and head of the Russian delegation, said, "Perhaps someone at this table will lose more loved ones," and added, "Russia is prepared to wage war forever."
The Telegraph also reported that Medinsky stated during the talks, "We are ready to fight for as long as it takes," and added, "In Sweden, we fought for 21 years. How long are you prepared to fight?"
It is reported that during the negotiations, Russia also pressured Ukraine to cede occupied territories.
Specifically, Russia demanded that Ukraine relinquish and hand over to Russia the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson?Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia since the invasion.
When the Ukrainian side protested, the Russian delegation responded, "Next time, it will be five regions."
Both sides reportedly reached a concrete agreement on a prisoner exchange involving 2,000 individuals and also shared the view that further discussions are necessary. It is also known that the possibility of a summit between Russia and Ukraine was discussed.
This meeting was initially prompted by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine proposing a summit to President Vladimir Putin and also requesting the attendance of President Donald Trump, raising the possibility of a trilateral summit.
However, as President Putin declined to attend and President Trump stated, "Nothing will happen until Putin and I meet," there were widespread expectations that a meaningful breakthrough would be difficult to achieve.
The two countries also engaged in a war of nerves over the status of their delegations and the timing of the talks, ultimately beginning negotiations a day later than scheduled. In the end, they only discussed the main issues regarding a ceasefire at a general level, parting ways with little to show for their efforts.
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