On May 16, 2025, the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years took place in Istanbul, where, according to the Telegram channel Clash Report, the Russian delegation voiced a number of demands for resolving the conflict. The meeting, held in the Dolmabahce Palace with the mediation of Turkey, lasted about two hours and ended without specific agreements, although the parties agreed to continue consultations. Official representatives of Russia and Ukraine have not yet confirmed the accuracy of the published demands, which emphasizes the complexity of the negotiations and the sensitivity of the issues discussed.

According to Clash Report, Russia insists on a mutual waiver of reparations, so that both sides renounce claims to compensation for damage caused during the conflict. Moscow also demands that Ukraine secure its neutral status, excluding the deployment of foreign troops or weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear weapons. Another condition concerns the protection of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine: Russia wants Kyiv to implement European standards for the protection of minorities and stop what it believes to be the promotion of nationalist propaganda. In addition, the Russian side insists on international recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, as well as Crimea as Russian territories, demanding that Ukraine renounce its claims to these regions. Russia also calls for an immediate ceasefire, linking this with the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territories it considers its own. Finally, Moscow demands that these agreements be secured by international agreements.

Some of these demands echo information from Reuters and Sky News, which, citing a Ukrainian diplomatic source, reported that Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions to end hostilities. The source called the conditions "unrealistic" and noted that they go beyond previously discussed points. The negotiations took place against the backdrop of active hostilities. On the night of May 16, Ukrainian UAVs attacked Crimea, hitting, according to analyst Mykhailo Zvinchuk, an ammunition depot in Perevalnoye.

The Russian delegation was headed by presidential aide Volodymyr Medinsky, and the Ukrainian delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the meeting in Ankara the day before, called the composition of the Russian delegation "sham" and expressed skepticism, stating that negotiations are possible only after a 30-day truce.