At least Moscow and Ankara expect further Russian-Ukrainian talks.

After the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion more than three years ago, it remains unclear whether these will continue. Representatives of the conflicting parties did not provide any concrete plans for further meetings or a possible date for them. However, at least Russia and mediating Turkey expect further talks. Ukraine initially declined to comment. Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian troops continued to engage in fierce fighting.

On Friday, representatives from Moscow and Kyiv, mediated by Turkey, discussed a possible end to the war for nearly an hour and a half. No agreement was reached on a ceasefire. The only tangible result was an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each. This would be the largest exchange of its kind since the war began in February 2022. No specific date was publicly announced. However, the exchange should take place "in the near future," said Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov.

After the talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed the view on Platform X that the Russian and Ukrainian delegations had agreed "in principle" to further talks. In Moscow, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Parliament, Leonid Slutsky, made it clear that he expected a quick decision on new rounds of talks.

"The evaluation will take hours, days at most," Slutsky said on Russian state television. Then, they could discuss a new date with the other side. There was no reason to waste time. "Every hour means human lives," he said. The second round of negotiations could already be "decisive."

There was initially no direct public reaction to the talks from Ukraine's allies. US President Donald Trump had already stated on Thursday – after it became known that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin would not be present – ​​that he did not have high expectations for the meeting. "Nothing will happen until Putin and I meet," he said recently during his trip to the Gulf states. He also reiterated his willingness to meet with the Kremlin leader as soon as possible to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly called on Putin for a personal meeting in Istanbul last weekend. Putin did not respond and instead sent a lower-ranking delegation to Turkey for talks.

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, expressed satisfaction with the meeting in Istanbul. The two sides agreed to work out their ideas for a ceasefire in detail before the next round of talks and to communicate them to each other. The Ukrainian delegation also called for a direct meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Putin. "We have taken note of this request," Medinsky was quoted as saying by Russian media.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhij Tychyj confirmed media reports that there had been sharp differences during the talks. "During the negotiations, there were indeed demands that we consider unacceptable," Tychyj said, but did not provide details.

Previously, reports had circulated that the Russian side continued to demand a complete withdrawal of Ukraine from the provinces claimed by Russia, as well as recognition of the annexations. Tychyj said: "We were prepared for this. The Ukrainian delegation knew this was coming. Therefore, they maintained a very restrained tone and calmly defended their line, expressing their position. We believe the Ukrainian delegation worked sufficiently effectively."

According to French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine expects a response to the demands it has sent to Russia in the coming hours. "After that, we will have another opportunity to exchange views with President Trump," Macron said after the end of a meeting of European heads of state and government in the Albanian capital Tirana.

Macron had already spoken to US President Trump on the phone on Friday afternoon, together with Selenskyj, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"It is clear that the proposal for an unconditional ceasefire is currently the only concrete initiative on the table," Macron said. In the event of no positive response, further sanctions are being prepared in coordination with the United States.

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski believes Putin is just playing for time. "He's still convinced he can win," Sikorski told the Tagesspiegel newspaper. Trump's presence is not essential for successful negotiations.

"The country that could end the war and put Putin in his place is China," Sikorski said. "If China threatened a trade embargo, Russia would be forced to comply." China officially describes itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. However, the country has been internationally criticized for supporting Russia in the invasion.

Away from the negotiating tables, Russian and Ukrainian troops continued to engage in fierce fighting. The Ukrainian General Staff reported 61 Russian attacks in its daily report, the majority around the long-standing flashpoints of Toretsk and Pokrovsk. Russian drone attacks were reported in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, injuring two people, according to authorities. In Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine, Russian artillery attacks injured four people, according to official figures.