America News Agency

The delegation, consisting of Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad, and First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Luhovskyi, held a press briefing.

The statement from the Ukrainian delegation is as follows:

"We came to this meeting upon the instruction of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. We were directed to conduct constructive negotiations. We shared our positions with the Russian delegation. We asked if they had any response to our proposals, which we submitted in writing, but we have yet to receive a reply from the Russian Federation.

We were not able to see their proposals before the meeting. They presented them during the session and suggested we evaluate them.

Moreover, the Russian side is rejecting an unconditional ceasefire. The unconditional ceasefire proposal made by the U.S. President has not yet been accepted. Still, it was stated that experts should discuss ideas within this framework, including a ceasefire, and that documents should be shared.

At the previous meeting, the Russian delegation rejected the possibility of U.S. delegation participation. This is unfortunate, as the United States plays a very important role.

Another item on our agenda was a meeting between leaders. We believe that key issues can only be resolved at the level of heads of state. A leaders' summit could be held with the participation of the U.S. President and other world leaders. We believe that additional inter-delegation work would be meaningful if it serves as preparation for such a summit.

We proposed to the Russian side to hold a meeting by the end of this month. This is vital for the continuation of the negotiations. We have long stated to the Russian Federation that this war must end, and the whole world supports us.

We truly believe that action must be taken to end this war, and we are calling for it.

The first step is very clear: a ceasefire, humanitarian steps, and preparation for a summit of leaders. If the Russian Federation is serious about ending the war, it must move forward on these points. Otherwise, international sanctions should follow.

Last time, we clarified several issues regarding the exchange of prisoners. A new step forward has now been made. The "all for all" formula has been adopted. Today, we identified two categories of people to be released: prisoners of war under the age of 25 will be exchanged.

A difficult task lies ahead that will require identity verification. We are continuing our efforts.

The two meetings held in Istanbul took place despite the Russian side changing conditions or failing to submit documents.

We did not receive any documents before the meeting began, so we were unable to provide feedback and need to examine them now.

Ukraine remains constructive and continues to be present here."