During peace talks held in Istanbul, head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky stated, “We do not want war, but we are prepared to continue fighting—one year, two years, even 21 years. We fought Sweden for that long before.” Ukraine reportedly rejected Russia’s demand to withdraw its forces from four regions. In response to Ukraine’s strong objection, Russian negotiators warned, “Next time, the demand will include five regions.” Despite these tensions, both sides agreed to a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 individuals.