Here is the rewritten blog post<br><br>**Russia and Ukraine Talks Yield POW Swap, But No Truce A Step Forward in Ending the Three-Year War?**<br><br>ISTANBUL — In a long-awaited breakthrough, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange prisoners of war (POWs) as part of their first direct talks in over three years. The meeting, which took place in Istanbul on Friday, lasted just over 90 minutes and produced few signs of significant progress towards ending the three-year conflict.<br><br>Despite the lack of a comprehensive ceasefire agreement, the prisoner swap marks a positive step forward. Ukraine had sought an unconditional ceasefire to halt the war, which has destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people. However, Moscow has consistently rejected such calls.<br><br>According to Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, the two sides will present their visions for a possible future ceasefire. While there was no agreement on suspending hostilities, the meeting did yield a deal to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.<br><br>Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that the next step would be a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia noted the request but did not commit to a meeting.<br><br>Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who presided over the meeting, announced that the sides had agreed in principle to meet again and present ceasefire ideas in writing.<br><br>Despite the limited progress on fundamental issues, the fact that the meeting took place at all is a positive development. Both Russia and Ukraine have faced pressure from Washington to open talks, with Zelenskyy urging a strong reaction from the international community if the talks fail.<br><br>The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Britain, and Poland held a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Friday, while French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need for European nations to coordinate with the United States on additional sanctions against Russia should Moscow continue to refuse an unconditional ceasefire.<br><br>Ahead of the talks, Ukrainian officials in Istanbul met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg, and national security advisors from Britain, France, and Germany. Rubio urged a peaceful end to the war and emphasized that the killing needs to stop.<br><br>During the talks, a Ukrainian source revealed that Russia was advancing hardline territorial demands, including the annexation of five Ukrainian regions. Moscow claims the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and four additional regions since its 2022 invasion.<br><br>Russia has consistently refused to discuss giving up any territory it occupies. Putin last year called for Kyiv to withdraw from parts of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions that Ukraine still controls.<br><br>The outcome of these talks is a mixed bag, with the prisoner swap representing a positive step forward while the lack of significant progress on ceasefire negotiations remains a concern.
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