Ciragan Palace

Ciragan Palace has been the venue for the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since the early weeks of the 2022 full-scale invasion. Istanbul Round 1 took place on 16 May 2026 and Istanbul Round 2 on 2 June 2026, both hosted at the palace under Turkish Mediation. The second round lasted slightly over one hour; parties agreed a 1,200-for-1,200 prisoner exchange including journalists and political prisoners, and Russia pledged to return 6,000 bodies, but Ukraine's proposed 30-day Ceasefire was rejected in favour of a Russian counter-offer of a 2-3 day partial truce that Zelenskyy described as shortsighted.

Built between 1863 and 1872 by Armenian palace architect Nikoğayos Balyan and his sons for Sultan Abdulaziz, the palace was gutted by fire in January 1910 and restored in the early 1990s as part of the luxury Kempinski hotel complex. It sits on the European shore of the Bosphorus in the Besiktas district of Istanbul. Its combination of Ottoman grandeur and modern hotel infrastructure has made it a preferred venue for high-security diplomatic events.

Turkey's selection of Ciragan Palace for both rounds reflected President Erdogan's positioning of Turkey as an indispensable mediator. The venue's symbolic weight, as a seat of the Ottoman Empire which once arbitrated conflicts across the Black Sea region, was not lost on either side.