Ukraine gives Russia list of children to be returned at Istanbul talks

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met in Istanbul on Monday for their second round of direct negotiations in three weeks. As in the previous meeting, held on May 16, the Russian side was led by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky. Ukraine’s delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

There were some changes in the Ukrainian team this time. Oleksiy Malovatsky, head of the Department for International and Operational Law at the General Staff’s Central Legal Directorate, was absent. New participants included Deputy Chief of the General Staff Yevhen Ostriansky, Verkhovna Rada ombudsman representative Yuriy Kovbasa, and Deputy Head of the General Staff’s Legal Directorate Andriy Fomin, according to RBC. Russia’s delegation remained unchanged.

Before the talks began, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan gave a brief address. He said the first round had achieved “very important steps” and that this second meeting would focus on a ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and the possibility of a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents. Fidan also expressed hope for “tangible progress in the near future,” TASS reported.

The negotiations took place behind closed doors and lasted less than two hours.

Shortly after the talks concluded, Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president’s office, announced that Kyiv had handed over a list of children it is demanding be returned by Russia.

“Today, during the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side officially gave the Russian side a list of Ukrainian children who must be returned,” Yermak wrote on Telegram. “We’re talking about hundreds of children who were illegally deported, forcibly transferred, or are being held in temporarily occupied territories. The return of these children is an inseparable part of a just and lasting peace and a key element of trust. It’s the first test of whether Russia’s intentions are sincere. We’re waiting for a response. The ball is in Russia’s court.”

A source from Russian state news agency TASS said the two sides held detailed discussions on prisoner exchanges, with an official statement expected later.

Following the meeting, Turkey’s foreign minister said the talks had ended “not negatively.”