Statement by Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky following the second round of resumed Russia-Ukraine direct talks in Istanbul

First, we handed our two-part memorandum to the Turkish side. The first part concerns ways to achieve a durable and sustainable peace. The second part outlines the steps towards making a genuine ceasefire possible and includes a choice of pathways that can be taken. The memorandum has been thoroughly worked through on our side and provides quite a few details. The Ukrainian side took it for further review. They will study it and tell us what they think about it, and we will take it from there.

In addition to that, we resolved several practical matters. Firstly, we will unilaterally hand over 6,000 frozen bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the Ukrainian side. We conducted DNA tests and identified as many bodies as we could. Next week, we will return these bodies to the Ukrainian side so they may be laid to rest with dignity. I don’t know whether they have any [proposals for exchange], or whether they have any bodies to deliver to us. We don’t know yet.

We have agreed on the largest prisoner swap to date. All gravely wounded and seriously ill soldiers will be exchanged all for all. This is a humanitarian gesture on our part. The same approach - all for all - will be used to exchange young soldiers under the age of 25. The overall exchange quota will be at least 1,000 people from each side, possibly more. These numbers are being finalised.

Furthermore, we agreed to create permanent medical commissions that will compile reports which the parties will use to draw up exchange lists of severely wounded soldiers without having to wait for major political decisions. These exchanges will be conducted regularly as part of routine operations.

Since the Ukrainian side often mentions a ceasefire, we proposed imposing a short-term ceasefire for two to three days on several stretches of the line of contact. Our military experts will work on it in coordination with their Ukrainian counterparts. The purpose of a short-term ceasefire that involves turning off drones and other systems is to let commanders retrieve the bodies of the fallen soldiers from the battlefield. It is hot, and the sanitary conditions in the grey zone are dire. An epidemic risk exists.

The Russian army is advancing, and there are significantly more bodies of the Ukrainian soldiers in the grey zone. For this reason, we propose collecting the bodies of their fallen soldiers and transferring them immediately on-site to the opposing side for proper burial under Christian traditions. We let them know about this proposal. The Ukrainian military promised to review it promptly.

Children are central to us, and I would like to say a few words about them. We’ve been hearing lately <…> that “1.5 million Ukrainian children were abducted by the Russians.” Then it came down to “200,000 Ukrainian children abducted by the Russians.” Now, the official figure is “20,000 children abducted by the Russians.” We’ve constantly asked to provide documentary evidence. Show us who these children are, give us something, such as missing child reports filed by their parents. Who are these children? They weren’t on any lists. What we get are mere numbers with no substance.

Our Commissioner for Children’s Rights is busy working all the time. The children who found themselves in a tough spot were evacuated. However, if their parents or even relatives turn up, the children reunite with their families.

So, what are the real numbers? We finally obtained a complete list. As you can see, it’s not 1.5 million, and not even 20,000 names. It includes 339 names. We will look into each case. We have reviewed every single inquiry lately. The Commissioner for Children’s Rights office had 101 children reunite with their families. Twenty-two children have come back home from Ukraine and reunited with their families. Our children, too, may end up in the midst of a combat zone and lose contact with their families.

As soon as parents or any relatives such as aunts, grandmothers, or grandfathers turn up, the families get reunified immediately. This list of 339 names only underscores the fact that child abduction has, unfortunately, been turned by the Ukrainian authorities into a media show for bleeding-heart Europeans. Perhaps, they watched the Wag the Dog film, remember? If you want to get someone misty eyed, show them an abandoned child, or better yet, a child hugging a kitten. That’s exactly what they’re doing.

In reality, we are talking about dozens of children. None of these children have been abducted. Not a single one. These are the children who were rescued by our soldiers - often at the cost of their lives - pulled from combat zones and taken to safety. We are looking for their parents. If the parents are found, the children are returned. In truth, we are talking about dozens of such cases.

We still need to see how many of these 339 children are actually in Russia and how many may be in Donbass or Novorossiya and have not gone missing in the first place. It often turns out that some of them have left for Europe. Recently, 150 children from a similar list were found in Germany. Yet, the accusations were directed at Russia.

Our soldiers behave as Soviet soldiers once did in Berlin. Remember the monument in central Berlin? It shows a real soldier - Sergeant Masalov - rescuing a German girl from under fire. That’s exactly what’s happening here. We mean this sincerely. This shameful spin must be brought to an end. Every child will reunite with their parents. All families on both sides will come together. We are working on it. It’s a matter of honour.

Question: What language were the talks held in?

Vladimir Medinsky: I’ll give you three guesses.

Question: Was it Russian?

Vladimir Medinsky: Correct, you got it right straight away.