On July 23, 2025, in Istanbul, the next round of diplomatic negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations started, which emerged as an extremely important attempt to find a peaceful solution after three and a half years of military conflict.
The lead negotiator from the Russian side, Vladimir Medinsky, officially proposed a temporary cessation of military actions lasting between 24 and 48 hours. The main goal of this proposal was to allow medical teams to evacuate the wounded and for commanders to collect the bodies of fallen soldiers.
"We again propose a short truce along the line of confrontation to the Ukrainian side," Medinsky said during a press conference. He emphasized that the positions of the two countries remain very different and negotiations will continue.
From the Ukrainian side, delegation leader Rustem Umerov presented an alternative proposal - a meeting between leaders with the ambition to end the war by the end of the next month. Umerov called on Russia to demonstrate a constructive and realistic approach to negotiations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who participated in the preparatory meeting, called for an immediate end to the "bloody war". "Our goal is to stop the conflict, which has an extremely high price, as quickly as possible," the diplomat said.
The agreement to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war from each side was noted as a positive sign. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the return of a group of servicemen, emphasizing that many of them had been in captivity for over three years.
"These fighters defended Ukraine at various sections of the front line. All of them will be provided with the necessary medical support," Zelenskyy commented in an official statement.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, for its part, published video footage of Russian servicemen returning from the prisoner exchange, with some holding national flags.
Although the negotiations did not lead to a breakthrough, both sides demonstrated a willingness to continue diplomatic dialogue, which gives some hope for a possible future truce.