Russia and Ukraine held 'face to face' talks in the Turkish capital Istanbul on Friday in an attempt to end the war that has lasted for more than three years. Vladimir Medinsky, who is leading Russia's negotiating team, said he was satisfied with Friday's talks.

 Immediately after the talks, Medinsky told the journalists that Russia is ready for further talks and will "stay in touch". Medinsky added, "There will be a large exchange of prisoners with Ukraine in the coming days, the number will be one thousand instead of one thousand." The Russian representatives are also positive in this demand. "We have noted their demands," Medinsky, the head of the Russian negotiating team, said, "We have agreed that both sides will present their views for a possible ceasefire in the future." 

Representatives of Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Istanbul for peace talks brokered by Turkey. According to the BBC, the negotiating representatives of both countries did not even shake hands before sitting in the talks. 

However, after a long struggle and human and material losses, it was expected that direct talks between representatives of Russia and Ukraine could lead to a 'break through' to stop the war. But it is reported that the talks lasted for a few hours but ended without significant achievements.  Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan facilitated the

talks. He also wished success to both the teams ahead of the peace talks. Soon after, Fidan called for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, saying, "When the war is killing civilians, it is very important to end it as soon as possible." Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were not present at Friday's talks. A BBC correspondent who was present at the talks said that the representatives of Russia and Ukraine listened to each other and said, "This is a good start." 

Russian representatives have urged Ukraine to come with a clear mandate, insisting that there should be no US representative at the talks. A BBC correspondent mentioned that a representative of Russia accused "Ukraine has already attended with the idea that Russia is pretending to talk to pass the time" at Friday's talks. 

It is hoped that the 39-month-long conflict between the two countries will stop after the Russian President Putin himself proposed for peace talks. Putin set a date and proposed talks with Ukraine for long-term peace.

Ukraine has been demanding an 'unconditional ceasefire' from Russia to stop this war that has killed thousands and displaced millions. Moscow, on the other hand, has been saying that the root causes of the conflict should be addressed and that the failed talks in 2022 should be reconsidered. In the said talks, after Russia put some political conditions with Ukraine, including the demand for a large territory, the talks failed before the meeting.  The day before the

talks, Russia and Ukraine made insulting remarks against each other. Ukrainian President Zelensky accused Moscow of not being "serious" about peace and said, "However, the negotiation itself is a sign of progress, because Washington was pressuring both sides to start negotiations." Which Ukraine criticized and commented that the representative did not have the right to make a decision.

Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's top aide, says Ukraine is ready for peace and wants an unconditional long-term ceasefire. Before the talks on Friday, Ukrainian officials met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg and national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany. According to the US State Department, Rubio insisted on a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

A Ukrainian diplomatic source in Istanbul noted that a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky was also discussed. Currently, Ukraine's negotiating team is headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. 

Ukraine and Russia last held direct talks in March 2022. But soon after Russia continued to attack Ukraine, the talks failed. Since then, the war has continued, with Russia claiming to have captured about a fifth of Ukraine. European leaders have criticized Putin for not taking the Istanbul talks seriously. Kaja Kalas, a senior EU diplomat, accused Russia of clearly not working for peace. NATO chief Mark Rutte also said Putin had made a "big mistake" by sending a low-level delegation to the Istanbul talks.