Ukraine Working With Russia For Return Of Captive Ukrainians, Says Zelenskyy

Ukraine is working with Russia for a prisoner exchange that will likely lead to release of 1,200 Ukrainians from captivity.

“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,” he added.

Politico quoted National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Rustem Umerov, posting 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, Turkish-brokered accords in 2022, had laid out rules for large, organised prisoner-of-war exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.

In July, Zelenskyy had said 5,857 Ukrainians have been returned by Russia since Russian President Vadimir Putin’s invasion nearly four years ago.

Police quoted Umerov as saying that technical talks to finalise details of the next exchange “will be held in the near future”.

He added that his aim is that “Ukrainians who are to return from captivity can celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home.”