Ukraine and Russia are working on a fresh exchange of prisoners of war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday (June 2) after peace talks concluded between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul.

Zelenskiy was speaking in the Lithuanian capital, where he was attending a meeting of central European and Nordic states.

The talks in Turkey - the second such direct contacts between the sides since 2022 - had already begun nearly two hours later than scheduled with no explanation of the delay.

The mood in Russia was angry as the talks kicked off, with influential war bloggers calling on Moscow to deliver a fearsome retaliatory blow against Kyiv.

Ukraine on Sunday (June 1) launched one of its most ambitious attacks of the war, targeting Russian nuclear-capable long-range bombers in Siberia and elsewhere.

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VIDEO SHOWS: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (JUNE 2, 2025) (OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA - Access all)

1. LEADERS ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, SAYING:

"Talks in Istanbul just ended and I am waiting for the Minister Umerov's (Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov) full report. They exchanged documents through the Turkish side and we are preparing a new release of prisoners of the war."

3. LEADERS ON STAGE

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, SAYING:

"Today we see the situation clearly. If Russia turns the Istanbul meeting into an empty talk, there must be a new level of pressure, new sanctions, and not just from Europe. We need to work on joint sanctions at the G7 level, including with the United States and with everyone in the world who wants peace. It is very, very important that each of our partners supports this exact approach."

5. LEADERS ON STAGE