🕊️ Russia-Ukraine Talks End with Promise of Peace & 2,000 POW Swap 🤝 | Forbidden News - video Dailymotion

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The direct negotiations in Istanbul have concluded with a pledge to create a roadmap for peace and a record exchange of 2,000 prisoners of war. 🇷🇺🇺🇦 Moscow is satisfied with the progress, while Kiev coordinated closely with Türkiye and the US before talks began. 🤝  Donald Trump expresses hope for a future sit-down with Vladimir Putin, but Washington remains cautious amid ongoing delays and tensions. The Kremlin emphasizes that a US-Russia summit is crucial to achieving lasting peace. 🌍✌️  #RussiaUkraine #PeaceTalks #POWSwap #IstanbulSummit #Kremlin #Kiev #Trump #Putin #Diplomacy #Geopolitics #USRussiaRelations #ConflictResolution #Turkey #InternationalRelations #UkraineWar #PeaceProcess #Negotiations #GlobalPolitics #WarAndPeace #BreakingNews

Transcript

00:00Hello. We are live from RT's HQ here in Moscow. It's just gone 6pm. A very warm welcome for

00:12myself and the whole team here in our newsroom. Well, after less than two hours, the direct

00:20talks between Russia and Ukraine have officially wrapped up. Speaking to the press after Moscow's

00:25negotiation chief says a number of concrete steps have been agreed to. Well, it was actually

00:30the first time in over three years that officials from the warring sides came together and sat

00:35behind the same table. Well, let's cross live now to the shores of the Bosphorus Straight

00:42where RT's Nikki Aaron has been at the helm of our special coverage. Nikki, only now we're

00:47kind of coming to grips with what was discussed and what was seemingly agreed. So if you could

00:53just help us understand some of the fine print here. Hello, Saskia. Yes, of course, today

01:03here in Istanbul, some small steps have been taken towards perhaps an eventual peace agreement.

01:11Russia and Ukraine came together for direct talks for the first time in years. That in

01:17itself is a step forward. The agreement between them remains to be seen. We know the talks have

01:24been held. We have some details from the head of the Russian delegation, whether these steps

01:29will be put into action. We're going to have to wait and see. Let's listen to what the head

01:34of the Russian delegation, Mr. Medinsky, said after the talks. The direct talks with the Ukrainian side

01:42organized upon the initiative of the Russian president have just ended. In general, we are

01:48satisfied with the result and are ready to continue contacts. In the coming days, there will be a large

01:54scale exchange of prisoners, 1,000 for 1,000. The Ukrainian side has requested direct talks between the heads of

02:01the Russian state. We have taken this request into consideration. We have agreed that each side will

02:07present its vision of a possible future ceasefire and describe it in detail. After such a vision is

02:13presented, we believe we should, and this has also been agreed upon, continue our negotiations.

02:22So the next step we expect to see will be that substantial prisoner exchange, the biggest prisoner exchange we've

02:31seen since the conflict began. After that, we expect to see some dates. Everything's been put into motion now.

02:39Now we need to see what the next move will be. Our correspondent was at the Doma Bacha Palace where those talks took place.

02:47Let's listen to his report now. Some cautiously positive vibes, I have to say, judging by the statements by the Ukrainian

02:55side and by the Russian delegation there. So in brief, arguably the biggest outcome of these talks, 1,000 of

03:03Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war, 1,000 each side, I mean, are set to return home to their families. And this is

03:13something that can be characterized as a very positive, positive development. Families being reunited, it's always, it's always a good sign.

03:22And clearly a symbolic move on behalf of both delegations there. At the same time, according to

03:28Vladimir Medinsky, the leader and the head of the Russian negotiating team, also the sides have agreed to

03:35continue contacts and to prepare for the next round of talks. This one has been, albeit brief, but at the same

03:43time, it seemed that they used this opportunity to just say, okay, we want this. And the other side said, all right,

03:51we want a different thing. And they went on to continue to consult with their bosses, to consult with

03:57the leaders. Like, for instance, the Ukrainian side has once again brought up the issue of a 30-day

04:04truce, something that they have been going on and on and on and on about. And the Russian side has said,

04:11okay, let's hear it from you. And we will draw up our own vision of a 30-day truce. So this is a victory

04:19for both sides, really, because Ukraine now has basically allowed this to enter the minds of the

04:28Russian negotiating team. And it has become part of the agenda. And for Russia, it's a victory because,

04:35well, when it comes for the Russian standpoint here, they've always said that the devil's in

04:40the details. And it's very important. The nuance in any potential 30-day truce is crucial for Russia.

04:47And it is crucial if Russia chooses to accept it or throw out of the window, because, after all,

04:53Russia doesn't want Ukraine to keep arming itself within that 30-day window and let alone to allow

05:01Ukraine to lure an international, a NATO-led force onto its territory under the guise of a

05:08peacekeeping mission. At the same time, again, positive vibes, truly positive vibes coming out of

05:15both delegations. And this is also another thing that Ukraine has been talking about. Ukraine has been

05:22insisting upon the meeting between Zelensky and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. In fact,

05:27Zelensky, he did try to wait for Putin here in Turkey. And, well, that is unclear as to why he

05:36decided to do so, since this has never been an indication by the Russian leader that he was going

05:41to be present here in person, to come here in person. But now the Russians are saying, OK, we will take

05:48that into account. So they didn't really say no to any of that. Now, also, there have been reports that

05:55the Russians, they presented Ukraine with an ultimatum to basically withdraw forces from

05:59all the four regions that are part of Russia, according to the country's constitution. When

06:05the Ukrainians refused, according to some reports, the Russians said, well, you better take this deal

06:12because next time we will demand that you vacate five regions. Now, RT did have a chance to clarify

06:18that and ask a question whether that was really the situation. Well, according to RT sources, the

06:25actual answer of the Russian delegation was eight. They said that next time they will have Ukraine and

06:31tell Ukraine to leave, to withdraw their troops from eight regions. Also, what was really hanging

06:38in the balance, well, depending on the outcome of these talks, is the potential meeting between

06:44Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. After all, the American side has been saying all along,

06:49both the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump himself, they have been saying that

06:54they're open for the American leader to meet with the Russian president and that those contacts,

07:02essentially, there is work being done to arrange that.

07:05I think it's time for us to just do it. I said, you know, they all said Putin was going

07:12and Zelensky was going. And I said, if I don't go, I guarantee Putin's not going. And he didn't

07:18go. And I understand that. But we're going to get it. We're going to get it done. We've

07:22got to get it done.

07:23When do you think you'll meet the president?

07:25As soon as we can set it up.

07:27So, but to get it done, again, it has to, to get it done, it really needs to be arranged,

07:35the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Because, after all, we have seen that

07:40these, if the pace of the direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is kept at the level

07:47that it is right now, well, it will take close to forever to reach a deal, to reach a peace deal.

07:54The only path to a strategic breakthrough that can be there is a meeting between Vladimir Putin

08:01and Donald Trump. And again, this is something the Russian side has been seeking too,

08:07but not without proper preparation first.

08:11A meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump is necessary. First of all, for bilateral Russia-US

08:17relations, as well as for discussions on international affairs and regional processes,

08:22including, of course, the Ukraine crisis.

08:27So, definitely something the Ukrainian side is set to make, to hold a press conference further

08:33throughout the day. Now, possibly, quite possibly, they will reveal something, more details,

08:41basically, as to what's been happening here behind me in the palace. We will stand by to bring you

08:47updates on that. But it seems that the first round of talks, again, the first round in three years

08:53of the talks of this sort, has wrapped up. And again, the sides, they have agreed to continue

09:00to work together and to continue to, well, develop this very tentative and fragile process that has

09:09reignited. Well, let's jump into the analysis now. I'm joined by Rick Sanchez, host of

09:17Journalistically Speaking. Rick, lovely to have you with me once again. So, we listened to that

09:22statement earlier from Mr. Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation. We were very keen to

09:28analyze, you know, the language used, the body language, the tone. What are your thoughts?

09:33I love the word satisfied. I think that's a wonderful word. And when I heard that word come out of his

09:38mouth, I thought, this is good. You and I had talked earlier, and our analysis, or the one that I

09:44presented to you was, my sense was that the Ukrainians are feeling pressure, that they could not come out

09:53of a two-hour meeting with the Russians and then announce to the world, nyet, we're not going to do

09:57anything, we don't like these people, and we basically have no agreement. Why? Why couldn't the

10:03Ukrainians come out with that kind of negative response? Because in the back of their minds, one would

10:10think, as Mr. Rubio had mentioned, and as Mr. Trump had asserted, the next step is that Mr. Trump is going to

10:17talk to, not the Ukrainians, but the Russians directly. If Mr. Trump talks to the Russians directly, what he's

10:25sending a message to the Ukrainians is, you guys may not matter anymore. In other words, I'm going to come up with a

10:32deal with the Russians that then you guys are going to have to accept. So stay in this room with the

10:37Russians for as long as it takes and come up with some kind of security deal that you're satisfied

10:42with and that they're satisfied with. And I think we're on that road to perdition right now. I think

10:49we're on the road toward the two sides coming up with some kind of agreement that gives them that security

10:56feeling that they've both been looking for. And no, it's not about just a 30-day truce. It has to go

11:01more to what I've been saying throughout the day, which is they're looking for 30 days. The Russians

11:06are looking for 30 years or more. And I think that's where we are right now. And I think it's

11:11a good place. I think both of us got that positive vibe from that statement. It's a step in the right

11:17direction. But talks are just talks until action is taken. And the first step would be that prisoner

11:22exchange, which I think, given it's the largest prisoner exchange we've seen so far, is a really good marker

11:29of goodwill. A thousand for a thousand. It's one of the biggest numbers we've seen so far.

11:34And I think what it says is, but first of all, let's just talk pragmatics. It's important to both

11:40sides. I think for the Russians in particular, listen, you and I both were there at the victory

11:46parade. We saw the reaction when the troops were shown. We know how important it is for Russia to bring

11:54those troops back. And I would assume for the Ukrainian people, it's important as well.

11:59So this is almost a concrete method of saying in the end, this is about a war where people are dying

12:07and we want that death to stop. And we're willing to show good faith by having this exchange of

12:14prisoners. You know, I think it reminds us that this is not about a bunch of, you know, dweeby,

12:20nerdy diplomats sitting in a room trying to come up with a deal. This is about people dying on a

12:27battlefield. And this is what has to be stopped. So I think that is an important gesture.

12:32I think why today it was so significant is because it marked the first step. We brought the two sides

12:38together. They looked each other in the eye. And this will lead to hopefully more talks between

12:44them. So it's interesting that we see this as positive when the response from Europe has been

12:50quite different. For instance, the British Prime Minister Starmer has responded to the talks calling

12:56Russia's position unacceptable, quote, unacceptable, and accused Putin of delaying a potential truce,

13:02while the French president has said that Russia has ignored the demands of the U.S., Ukraine and

13:07Europe. I suppose he's talking about that 30-day ceasefire.

13:10What a shame. I mean, where are these people? So let's just cut to the chase. We're talking about

13:16small countries with leaders who have small minds who are trying to hold on to the relics of the past

13:25that they still have. And I don't say that because I'm trying to in any way, you know, bemoan these folks,

13:34you know, the Macron's and the Starmer's of the world. I think what I'm saying is, I'm sorry, but

13:41have you looked at your GDP growth? Have you looked, Great Britain, at your GDP growth lately? Because

13:47it's almost in the negatives. Have you looked at Germany's? Have you looked at French? Because it's

13:51in the negatives. Now let's count standing armies in the world right now. Standing armies between those

13:57three countries doesn't even compare to one country that's a part of BRICS, India. Whose friend?

14:02Russia's friend. So let's look at India. Let's look at Russia. Let's look at China. Let's look at

14:10Saudi Arabia. Let's look at South Africa. Let's look at Brazil. Let's look at these countries who

14:16are forging this relationship and look at their breakdown when it comes to things like standing

14:22army, GDP growth. It's not even close. So it's almost like you have to understand when you've

14:29gotten to a point where you're no longer in a position to call the shots. And unfortunately,

14:36nobody has told Mr. Macron or Mr. Starmer that yet. Look, these are two of the greatest countries in the

14:44history of this world. You can't help but respect the British for what they've been, for what they've

14:49done. Same as the Germans, same as the French. But for them to all of a sudden come into this

14:54negotiation and try to bigfoot it because that's what they're doing. They're trying to bigfoot this

14:59negotiation. It's wrong. The entire world sees it as wrong. And I think they almost look foolish in the

15:06eyes, especially of the Global South community. But I don't even think they know who the hell the Global South

15:12community is. So maybe it doesn't matter to them.

15:14Do you think it's possible? Because I remember ahead of the talks, Vladimir Zelensky said that if

15:19the talks were deemed unsuccessful, then more sanctions would be coming Russia's way. So do

15:24you suppose that they want to give this spin, that the talks were a massive blowout and completely

15:30unsuccessful, to give them an excuse to slap those sanctions? Thank God for Donald Trump.

15:36I know. I mean, listen, he's my president. And I'm not here, you know, you know, I'm a journalist.

15:41I'm not here to kiss anybody's butt. But I will tell you this. It seems to me, and based on the

15:48analysis I've seen of the events as they've unfolded throughout the day, that were not for

15:53Donald Trump. Well, first, Putin says, let's have a meeting, right, in Turkey. Then Zelensky says,

16:00nah, I don't want to have a meeting. Then suddenly Trump says, you will go there. You will meet with

16:07with the Russians immediately, he wrote in Truth Social. Suddenly, oh, what a surprise.

16:13Zelensky shows up in Ankara, of all places. But still, you know, he was heading here and heading

16:18and moving his people here. I think it's fair to assess, like or dislike Donald Trump for all his

16:25craziness, that the president of the United States somehow was able to push for this meeting today to

16:33take place. Because I think without him, if we would have depended on the Starmers and the Germans

16:40and the French, this wouldn't have happened. They would have told Zelensky, like Boris Johnson did in

16:45March of 2022, don't do anything with the Russians. Don't agree to him. Don't do any deals with these

16:51people. And that's what would have happened had it not been, I think, for Donald Trump. God bless his soul.

16:56Well, let's wait and see what he has to say first. We're not there yet. But I do believe, Nikki, I do believe

17:05that we've gotten to the point we are where we are because I think the pressure was felt by the Ukrainians

17:12that Washington was pushing them. I really do feel that way. Let's hope that things continue to move in a positive

17:19direction. Rick Sanchez, many thanks. It is a good first step. Many thanks for coming in to speak to me. Always a pleasure

17:24to have you with us. And we're going back to the studio in Moscow now. Always a pleasure to bring you this special

17:32coverage wherever it may be. Right now, we're in Istanbul, where we're staying put for the coming hours. So make sure you join us for

17:39more updates and analysis. Well, we've been very jealous watching you, Nikki, there over in Istanbul.

17:55Well, before negotiations had even started, Zelensky was already laying down demands. While attending an event in

18:02Albania, he said that if nothing were to come of the meeting in Istanbul today, then the West must impose

18:08yet more sanctions against Russia. If it turns out that the Russian delegation really is just theatrical

18:17and can't deliver any results today, the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction,

18:25including sanctions against Russia's energy sector and banks. Pressure must continue to rise until real

18:33progress is made. While Zelensky had also ruled out any territorial concessions. Well, on that,

18:41Washington's approach appears to be more realistic. Donald Trump and several other US officials have

18:47repeatedly underlined that a return to Ukraine's 2014 borders is now impossible. Well, explaining that

18:54in that position, America's counterterrorisms are noted that the White House trades in pragmatism.

18:59Part of the conversation, part of the dealmaking, you know, the president has said that the idea of

19:04Crimea being recognized as sovereign Russian territory is on the table. Do you think that

19:12some of those regions in the Donbass that have been under Russian control, is that and should that be

19:18on the table as part of these negotiations? The Trump administration lives in the real world.

19:23We recognize the reality on the ground. Number one, that's the beginning because we're not

19:28utopianists and we're not human engineers. We're not some kind of pine the sky believers in utopia.

19:35We recognize the reality on the ground and we have one priority above all else, whether it's the Middle

19:40East or whether it's Ukraine. It's to stop the bloodshed. Our British diplomat and author Ian Proud

19:48believes that Washington has the will to end the conflict here, but that Zelensky himself and

19:54his EU partners are blocking the way. Well, sanctions haven't really had a big impact on Russia.

20:00It's led to a sort of a re-calibration of Russia's economy, and it's also kind of prompted a

20:06de-industrialization of Europe. This is all political hot air. Who actually threatens sanctions as peace

20:13talks are beginning? That's only really going to disincentivize, you know, Russia getting on board with

20:18some process to end the war. So for me, this forms part of Zelensky's kind of tactics over the past

20:26week in particular to, you know, generate so much heat and noise to put the blame on Russia's

20:33doorstep while himself avoiding talks at all costs. The Ukraine war has been a huge drain on U.S.

20:39resources over the last three years, and I genuinely believe that Trump wants to bring it to an end.

20:44I also think he sees merit in some sort of strategic reset with Russia as well. So

20:48I personally assess that the U.S. does want to see this come to an end. And the biggest stumbling

20:53box have been the Europeans themselves, of course, and Zelensky. So I don't see the Europeans, frankly,

20:59in the driving seat. I certainly don't see Zelensky in the driving seat, even though he spends most of

21:03his time talking to the international press. And the pressure here is coming from the American side

21:08to settle. And most of that pressure is on Zelensky himself. Ukraine has confirmed that it has lost

21:16yet another NATO fighter jet, although it's stopped short of revealing whether the aircraft,

21:22made in America F-16, was shot down. So this is actually the third time that Kyiv has admitted to

21:27losing the plane, which comes with an estimated price tag of 20 million dollars. Those were all

21:34supplied by NATO members like Denmark and the Netherlands. The latest incident reportedly

21:38happened during a combat mission with the pilot safely ejecting. But no further comment on the

21:43cause was provided other than that it was a, quote, abnormal situation. Former Pentagon security

21:48policy analyst Michael Maloof thinks that Ukraine's allies just don't have the capacity to keep up with

21:54these hardware losses. A lot of these foreign systems have incorporated in them U.S. technologies

22:02for which they would need U.S. permission under U.S. export laws. And Trump is really down on continuing

22:11endlessly with any further supply when he's trying to stop the war altogether so that he can undertake a

22:18more geo-strategic relationship with Russia. So this puts the White House now in a policy decision that

22:30they're going to have to face and deal with. Look, you have the Europeans who want to continue it, but

22:35they don't have the they don't have the industrial base right now to do that. And there are many of them

22:41are broke. So, you know, it's it's it's for the Europeans. They're going to have to come up with

22:48solutions domestically because even the even the citizens of France and UK see that their pensions

22:56aren't being paid up in time. They can't collect good. They don't have the funds to collect the garbage

23:02and they want to continue funding at the tune of billions of pounds of francs. A Ukraine war which is

23:09lost and which for which they're also negotiating a ceasefire and resolution. None of this makes

23:18sense. And that's why you're seeing the Europeans basically being sidelined in this whole process.

🕊️ Russia-Ukraine Talks End with Promise of Peace & 2,000 POW Swap 🤝 | Forbidden News

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