Russia and Ukraine: New prisoner exchange agreement in Istanbul!

Russia and Ukraine: New prisoner exchange agreement in Istanbul!

Istanbul, Türkei - On June 3, 2025, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul held a short but significant meeting to discuss a new agreement on the prisoner exchange and the return of 6,000 fallen soldiers. The conversations that took place in the historic Ciragan Palace took less than two hours and represented the second direct meeting of the two countries within one month. Despite the urgency of the topics, there is little progress in terms of an end to the war, since both sides are still split on central questions.

The Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov announced that the agreement includes the exchange of at least 1,000 prisoners on each page. It was also stated that all heavily wounded soldiers and prisoners are exchanged under 25 years. President Wolodymyr Selenskyj reported that Turkey helped to transmit documents about the exchange. A list of almost 400 Ukrainian children who were kidnapped was also presented, while Russia only promised the return of 10 children.

Different positions on ceasefire

A central theme of the talks was the ceasefire in which Russia rejected an unconditional ceasefire. Instead, the country offered a limited break from two to three days to collect the body of fallen soldiers. In contrast, Ukraine has increased and reported its military efforts to be responsible for drone attacks that have damaged or destroy over 40 Russian war planes.

Russia presented a memorandum with conditions for an armistice, which, among other things, requires the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four annexed regions. However, these conditions were rejected by Ukraine. Planned further discussions between the two countries are to take place between June 20 and 30, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed the wish, possibly also Donald Trump in Istanbul or Ankara in a meeting with Putin and Selenskyj.

geopolitical tensions and their consequences

This meeting takes place against the background of increasing geopolitical tensions that bring about considerable economic and political costs. According to Bafin , the geopolitical risks have exacerbated in recent years, which at increasing energy prices and problems in the delivery chains led. Germany, which has an export quota of 43.4%, is particularly susceptible to such geopolitical shocks and has to prepare for the possible negative effects of the geopolitical situation on the economy and the financial sector.

Another aspect is the increase in cyber attacks that are often initiated by the state and affect critical infrastructure and companies in the financial industry. Bafin closes these risks closely to ensure the stability of the financial markets. In such an environment, the liquidity situation of the financial companies could deteriorate, especially in the areas of loans and access to international financial markets. Despite the challenges, BaFin announces that the situation continue to keep an eye on the situation.