• Russia and Ukraine held their second round of peace talks in Istanbul with minimal progress.
• Both sides agreed to exchange prisoners of war and the remains of 6,000 dead soldiers.
• A ceasefire remains out of reach, with Russian demands for territory recognition and military limitations.
• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy indicated readiness for further discussions on peace.
• Turkey continues to facilitate dialogue between the two nations amidst ongoing military escalations.

Russia and Ukraine convened for their second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2, where they managed to agree on critical humanitarian issues, including a significant prisoner exchange and the return of dead soldiers’ remains. However, the discussions ended without any breakthroughs regarding a ceasefire, despite increasing international calls for peace, especially from the United States and Turkey, the host nation of the talks. The meeting lasted just over an hour, concluded with both sides planning to exchange sick and heavily wounded prisoners of war, as well as a mutual return of 6,000 bodies of military personnel, according to AA and TRT Global.

Ukrainian officials, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, emphasized that they are still pushing for a full and unconditional ceasefire, requiring at least a 30-day halt to hostilities to facilitate humanitarian efforts and restore some stability in the region. Contrarily, Russia has indicated that they would only agree to a ceasefire if Ukraine recognizes the annexation of Crimea and several territories, further complicating negotiation efforts, as stated by Channel News Asia and BBC.

In addition to the talks, President Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine had submitted a list of nearly 400 abducted children to the Russian delegation, insisting on their return, which reflects ongoing efforts within the humanitarian aspect of the negotiations, according to Le Monde, TRT Global, and Africa News.

Despite these exchanges and planned future discussions, both delegations remain entrenched in their positions, leaving observers skeptical about the prospects for a meaningful peace agreement anytime soon, as noted by The Hill and Al Jazeera.