Ukraine is working on a prisoner exchange with Russia that could see the return of 1,200 Ukrainians from captivity, as Kyiv also seeks to resume negotiations on ending Russia’s invasion.
“We are working to ensure another start to negotiations, so that after all there is a prospect to end this war,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement on Sunday.
“We are also counting on the resumption of POW exchanges — many meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently taking place to ensure this,” Zelenskyy added.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Rustem Umerov, said on Telegram that he had “held consultations with the mediation of partners in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on the resumption of the exchange process and the release of our people from Russian captivity.”
“As a result of these negotiations, the parties agreed to activate the Istanbul agreements. This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians,” Umerov said.
The Istanbul agreements are Turkish-brokered accords from 2022 that lay out the rules for large, organized prisoner-of-war exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said in July that 5,857 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity in exchanges since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s all-out invasion began nearly four years ago.
Technical talks to finalize details of the next exchange “will be held in the near future,” Umerov said. He said his aim is that “Ukrainians who are to return from captivity can celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home.”