Vucic called the large-scale prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kiev "the beginning of a dialogue"

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday, May 16, that the agreement on the exchange of prisoners in the "1000 to 1000" format indicates the beginning of a real dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.

Vucic expressed the hope that the beginning of the dialogue would precede the appearance of real results.

"This is the largest prisoner of war exchange of all time. This is good news, so a dialogue has begun," he said on TV Pink.

Step at the meeting: the results of the first negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in three years

The first round of contacts took place in Istanbul — what's next

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul began earlier in the day. The Russian delegation consists of Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Igor Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and Alexander Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defense.

Later, the head of the Russian delegation, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, announced the completion of negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. According to him, the parties agreed on a prisoner exchange in the ratio of 1,000 to 1,000. The Ukrainian side also offered to hold talks between the leaders of the states, and Russia took this request into account.