Welcome to the News Hour. Today, senior Russian and Ukrainian officials did something they have not done in more than three years, sat across from each other and talked. Since their last negotiation, more than one million people have been killed or wounded. Today, the two sides agreed to exchange a thousand prisoners. That would be the war's largest swap. And they agreed to keep talking. But beyond that,

there were no breakthrough. And in some respect, the two sides seem even further apart than when

they started. Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

Today in Istanbul, foes finally faced each other. Senior Ukrainian Russian officials haven't been this close in nearly 1,200 days.

But by the end of the meeting, they've never been further apart.

There were a number of things that, of course, were unacceptable.

But again, Ukrainian delegation took it with a very calm posture.

The last time Ukraine and Russia negotiated in March 2022 in the exact same location as today's talks,

Russia demanded caps on Ukraine's military, the ending of Western support, the end of Ukraine's

NATO dreams, and the dissolution of Lolution of Vladimir Zelensky's government.

Today, Russia reportedly expanded its demands to include Ukrainian withdrawal

from four regions that are under partial Russian control, Zaporizia, Donetsk, Hirsson, and Lujansk,

and buffer zones in other provinces of Sume, Kharkiv, and Nipropotrotsk.

Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said today that compared to 2022, Moscow wanted more.

It was a little bit tougher in relation to the realities on the ground.

The two sides did agree to the largest prisoner release of the war, and Russia said it would

consider a Ukrainian request for Zelensky-Vladimir Putin meeting.

We agreed that each side will present its vision of a possible future ceasefire and spell

it out in detail.

But Russia continues to reject U.S., Ukrainian, and European requests for a 30-day ceasefire.

You all know that this is how it works.

You first make guns silent and then you talk.

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