The Latest Breaking News from Istanbul

Ukraine and Russia have started a new prisoners of war exchange, following the agreement reached at the second round of direct talks in Istanbul last Monday. Kyiv and Moscow agreed that the exchange would include young soldiers under 25 years old and those severely ill.

This luxurious slow train might just be the best new way to see Europe.

Russia on Monday presented Ukraine with a "memorandum" setting out its conditions for a ceasefire, as well as key guidelines for a comprehensive treaty to end the conflict. It included demands that Ukraine has previously said are non-starters.

US president says phone call with Russian leader won’t lead to ‘immediate peace’ as Moscow rules out ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed Russia’s ceasefire proposal as “an ultimatum” and renewed his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock over the war, which has dragged on for nearly 3½ years

News of the spectacular “spiderweb” mass drone attack on Russian air bases on June 1 will have been uppermost in the minds of delegates who assembled the following day for another round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. The attack appears to have been a triumph of…

Turkish authorities are intensifying their crackdown on Istanbul's imprisoned mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. The move comes as İmamoğlu, despite his incarceration, remains President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s principal political rival, with protests continuing over his arrest.

Even though neither leader met in the Istanbul summits, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky have met before

Delegations in Istanbul agree swap of at least 1,000 prisoners, but a ceasefire remains out of reach.

Delegations in Istanbul agree swap of at least 1,000 prisoners, and Ukraine says Russia agreed to return some abducted children

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia met for a second time in Istanbul in a month on June 2, 2025. Missing, again, were the country’s two leaders.