Ukraine seeks stronger support after stalled ceasefire talks with Russia

Ukraine turned to its Western partners on Friday, seeking renewed solidarity after the first direct talks with Russia in over three years ended without a ceasefire agreement. Moscow’s conditions for halting the conflict were dismissed by a Ukrainian source as “non-starters”, underscoring the deep divide between the two nations.

The under mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has urged an end to the deadliest conflict Europe has witnessed since World War II. Delegations from both countries sat down for face-to-face talks for the first time since March 2022 — just one month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Held in a historic palace in Turkiye's capital Istanbul, the discussions lasted less than two hours. Russia, seemingly content with the brief encounter, signalled a willingness to continue dialogue. Both sides agreed, in principle, to carry out the largest prisoner swap to date — a mutual exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war.

However, Ukraine, wary of Moscow’s intentions and the absence of firm commitments, swiftly turned to its allies to press for harsher sanctions. Kyiv insists that punitive measures against Russia must intensify unless President Vladimir Putin agrees to Trump’s proposed 30-day ceasefire.

Immediately following the talks, Ukrainian President announced on X that he had spoken with Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, and Poland.

“Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance,” Zelenskyy stated, urging the international community to adopt “tough sanctions” should Russia refuse an unconditional ceasefire.

Russia, continuing its slow but steady military advance, remains deeply sceptical of a temporary ceasefire, fearing it could give Ukraine the opportunity to rearm and reorganise. Moscow has insisted that specific terms must be formalised before any such truce can take effect.

Spoke with @POTUS together with President Macron, Federal Chancellor Merz, Prime Ministers Starmer and Tusk. We discussed the meeting in Istanbul.

Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance.… pic.twitter.com/CG3pAnN5Ip

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2025

“We have agreed that each side will present its vision of a possible future ceasefire and spell it out in detail,” said Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator. “After such a vision has been presented, we believe it would be appropriate, as also agreed, to continue our negotiations.”

A cold formality

The negotiations were marked by visual contrasts as well as political ones. Seated around a U-shaped table, Russian delegates appeared in formal suits, while several Ukrainians arrived in military fatigues. The atmosphere, according to a Turkish official, was calm — yet no clear date or venue was set for further dialogue, with each side expected to consult their respective leaderships before proceeding.

Ukrainian delegates communicated through an interpreter in their native language, though Russian is widely understood in Ukraine. A Ukrainian and a European official revealed that Moscow had rebuffed Kyiv’s request to have US representatives present at the talks.

According to Reuters, two sources with direct knowledge of the meeting said Medinsky compared Russia’s resolve to that of Tsar Peter the Great during his prolonged war with Sweden in the early 18th century, stating: “We do not want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three — as long as you want.”

"Detached from Reality"

A member of the Ukrainian delegation, speaking anonymously, described Russia’s demands as “detached from reality" and going "far beyond anything that was previously discussed”. The source said Moscow had issued ultimatums, including calls for Ukraine to relinquish parts of its own territory in exchange for a ceasefire — conditions the source dismissed as “non-constructive”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed this sentiment, calling the Russian position “clearly unacceptable”. He affirmed that European leaders, Ukraine, and the United States were working in close coordination on their response.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that a new package of sanctions against Russia was already being prepared.

People in Ukraine and across the world have paid the price for Putin’s aggression, now he must pay the price for avoiding peace.

I will not accept Russia kicking a ceasefire down the road.@ZelenskyyUa, Britain stands with Ukraine, always. pic.twitter.com/pyyMpB83EV

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 16, 2025

Though Russia portrayed the meeting as a continuation of failed negotiations held in 2022, the political context has since shifted dramatically. At the time, Ukraine was still reeling from the initial shock of the invasion, and the terms discussed — including drastic reductions to Ukraine’s military — would now be considered profoundly unfavourable to Kyiv.

Moscow’s present demands include territorial concessions, a renunciation of NATO ambitions, and the adoption of a neutral foreign policy — proposals Ukraine has unequivocally rejected as tantamount to surrender. Kyiv, instead, is pursuing robust international security guarantees, particularly from the US.

Following the meeting, Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian official, praised the outcome on X, citing “good results... 1. Largest POW exchange, 2. Ceasefire options that may work, 3. Understanding of positions and continued dialogue.”

Uncertain path ahead

President Putin had initially proposed the Istanbul talks, raising faint hopes of progress. Yet those hopes were dashed when he declined Zelenskyy’s challenge to meet in person, undermining the prospect of a breakthrough.

The situation grew more uncertain when Trump, concluding a tour of West Asia (Middle East to the Western world), declared that no tangible progress could be expected until he and Putin met face-to-face.

The Kremlin reinforced this stance on Friday, calling a Trump-Putin summit essential but stressing that significant groundwork would be required to make such a meeting meaningful.

In a Friday interview with Fox News, Trump said he believed he could strike “a deal” with Putin, but also warned that he would impose sanctions on Russia if negotiations failed.

Turkiye’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan confirmed that both sides had agreed “in principle” to hold further discussions. Ukrainian defence minister Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, expressed hope that the next round of talks would occur at the leadership level.

Medinsky, for his part, stated that Russia had “taken note” of Ukraine’s request for a direct Zelenskyy-Putin meeting — a step that, for now, remains elusive.

With agency inputs