The sides have reached a mutual understanding to continue negotiations following discussions in Istanbul, Hakan Fidan has said

Moscow and Kiev have agreed in principle to hold follow-up negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who participated in the talks as an observer.

The announcement follows the meeting between the delegations in Istanbul on Friday, facilitated by Türkiye, marking the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years.

"The delegations of Russia and Ukraine have reached a principled agreement regarding a new meeting," Fidan said on X (formerly Twitter).

Fidan stated that the parties have agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, representing the largest such swap since the conflict escalated in 2022. Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement.

Both sides have also consented to share written proposals detailing conditions for a potential ceasefire, he added.

The talks followed a surprise invitation last Sunday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to restart negotiations to resolve the conflict.

There is no set timeline for Russia and Ukraine to exchange ceasefire proposals, but a fundamental agreement to do so has been reached, a TASS source reported.

Türkiye has consistently positioned itself as a neutral mediator, leveraging its diplomatic relations with both Russia and Ukraine to facilitate dialogue.

In 2022, Medinsky's team negotiated a potential peace deal. Its terms offered Kiev Russian security guarantees in exchange for neutrality and restrictions on its standing army. At the last moment Kiev unilaterally pulled out the negotiations. David Arakhamia, who headed the Ukrainian delegation, later revealed following the pre-approval of the draft treaty that then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had told Kiev to "just fight," leading to the continuation of hostilities.

(RT.com)