Russia and Ukraine announce largest prisoner swap to date following Istanbul talks

Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a major prisoner exchange following the direct talks that ended in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday, Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation, said in a press statement reported by TASS.

Medinsky said Moscow and Kyiv planned to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each in a swap set to take place “in the coming days”. If the exchange goes ahead, it will be the largest such swap since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Noting that the Russian delegation was “satisfied with the result” of the talks and “ready to continue contacts”, Medinsky said each side agreed to present “its vision of a ceasefire”, after which they will continue negotiations.

Ukraine has also requested direct talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, Medinsky continued, which the Russian delegation has “taken into account”.

In a brief press statement given in English, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, called the planned prisoner exchange “an important achievement”, adding that the next step for Kyiv would be to organise a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

Noting that while Ukraine was “able and capable” to continue fighting, Umerov said that Ukraine wanted peace and that its main focus was on its people, adding: “At the end of the day, we need to finalise this war”.

A Ukrainian diplomatic source previously told Reuters that Russia’s demands in Istanbul were “detached from reality” and went “far beyond” anything previously discussed, which included “non-starters” such as ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from parts of its own territory in order to obtain a ceasefire.