TURKEY – Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war, as two days of U.S. mediated talks concluded with no major breakthrough on ending Moscow’s nearly 5-year-old full-scale invasion.
Hopes had been low for any significant development in the first meeting in 9 months between the delegations. Russia and Ukraine have, from time to time, swapped POWs but have remained far apart in their demands for accepting a peace settlement.
Along with postwar security guarantees for both countries, other key hurdles are the fate of russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and what role European countries will play in an eventual settlement.
