STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul ended quickly with no ceasefire. That's no surprise, although Ukraine used the occasion to make a dramatic demand.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Yeah, Ukraine gave Russia a list of Ukrainian children abducted during the war, asking for them to be returned home immediately.
INSKEEP: NPR's Joanna Kakissis, our correspondent in Kyiv, is following this. Hey there, Joanna.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: Who are these kids, and what is the evidence they were taken?
KAKISSIS: Well, Ukrainian researchers have documented that nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children were abducted during the Russian invasion and occupation of some parts of Ukraine and then taken to Russia. I spoke to Khrystyna Shkudor, who advocates for these abducted children and their families.
KHRYSTYNA SHKUDOR: The biggest challenge is that Russia is not willing to return those kids back. They even don't want to tell how many of them are right now in Russian Federation.
KAKISSIS: So in Istanbul the Ukrainian delegation brought up these missing kids and pushed Russia to give them back.
INSKEEP: And the researchers have names. They've got backgrounds. They've got information.
KAKISSIS: Yes.
INSKEEP: Wow.
KAKISSIS: Yes. They have names, backgrounds. Some of them are from orphanages, some of them are from families. So yeah, there's documentation for many of these children.
INSKEEP: How did the Russians respond to the demand?
KAKISSIS: Well, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Russians did not react well. Here's Zelenskyy speaking in Lithuania on Tuesday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying that Russia claimed the Ukrainians were using this issue to pander to the West, to childless European grandmothers in particular. Though Zelenskyy did add that at least the Russians now admit to taking Ukrainian children. In Istanbul, Ukraine gave the Russians a list of 400 children to be returned immediately as part of these talks. Now, Russia said it would consider returning 10 of them and added that they did not abduct the children, but rather saved them from a war zone.
INSKEEP: OK, so no big breakthrough on ceasefire talks. How is this situation different from last month, when each side did swap a thousand prisoners of war?
KAKISSIS: Well, so this prisoner exchange agreed to yesterday is set to include as many POWs, like a thousand, but with priority given to those who are wounded and sick, as well as young soldiers, those between the ages of 18 and 25, Zelenskyy, who did not participate in the talks but was briefed on them said 200 Ukrainian civilians imprisoned in Russia might also be released.
INSKEEP: OK, so some adults, at least, are going back and forth to their home sides.
KAKISSIS: Yeah.
INSKEEP: Did the two sides agree on anything else yesterday?
KAKISSIS: So, no. Exactly as you mentioned earlier, not a ceasefire, but the two countries did agree to exchange the bodies of soldiers killed in action.
INSKEEP: I want to follow up on another thing that we've been reporting on this week, Joanna. Ukraine, of course, conducted this covert operation. Drones hit military bases deep inside Russia. Technologically impressive. Operationally impressive. Why is it also really meaningful for Ukrainians?
KAKISSIS: Ukraine says it took out a third of Russia's bombers using drones smuggled in on trucks to Russian airfields as far away as Siberia. And though Western weapons have certainly helped Ukraine, it's innovative operations like this that have helped the country punch above its weight against Russia, which is much larger and better resourced. And Zelenskyy says he believes the latest operation will actually force Russia to the negotiating table. So it's an important symbolic victory for Ukrainians, and it's also something that could bring Russia to the negotiating table.
INSKEEP: OK, and the Russians at least showed up, although didn't agree on too much yet. Joanna, thanks.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome.
INSKEEP: That's NPR's Joanna Kakissis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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