The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine officially ended in Istanbul, Turkey on the evening of July 23 with many notable developments, from humanitarian proposals to harsh statements.
Although the dialogue only lasted about 40 minutes, the meeting marked a step forward in a number of humanitarian issues such as exchanging prisoners, returning soldiers' bodies and discussing peace memorandums of understanding.
Russia - Ukraine exchange nearly 250 prisoners, Russia proposes to return 3,000 more military bodies
Russian negotiation chief Vladimir Medinsky confirmed that the two sides had completed a large-scale Prisoner exchange, agreed upon from the previous round of talks. About 250 soldiers have been returned, in the context of the third round of negotiations.
Notably, Russia has also proposed returning 3,000 more bodies of killed Ukrainian soldiers. In addition, Moscow called for the establishment of a temporary 24-hour ceasefire on the front line to evacuate war invalids and collect bodies.
Fierce controversy over displaced children and civil prison
One of the hot spots at the negotiation table was the list of 339 Ukrainian children that Kiev asked Moscow to return to. Russia says many of the children on the list have never been to Russia and at least 50 are actually adults.
However, Russia insists it is still committed to returning the children if they find their parents, relatives or legal guardian. Children are sacred to us, Medinsky stressed.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of detaining Russian civilians in the Kursk region, calling it an act similar to "Hamas hostage", and demanded clarification of the legal status of those arrested.
Three online working groups and the possibility of President Putin-Zelensky meeting
To promote progress, Russia has proposed the establishment of three online working groups of politics, military and humanitarian affairs to save time and budget.
On the question of whether Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could meet, Medinsky said it was not the right time: Such a meeting would only take place after a clear and complete peace deal is reached. That is not the place for further discussion.
negotiation language and next prospects
The talks were conducted in Russian, according to a source from TASS. Although short-lived and not yet a major turning point, the third round of talks is considered a foundation for humanitarian cooperation and maintaining direct contact between the two sides in the context of the ongoing conflict on many fronts.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted: "No one expected this to be an easy road. The drafts discussed by both sides have completely opposite positions".
