1,200 POWs to be exchanged with Russia, says Zelensky
Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday confirmed a previously discussed prisoner-of-war (POW) exchange with Russia, which had already mentioned the swap.
Zelensky, in a post on Telegram, said a list of 1,200 names was being worked on. Russian negotiators had mentioned that figure during direct talks with their Ukrainian counterparts in Istanbul on July 23, while the Ukrainians did not release a number then.
Following a meeting with Ukrainian lead negotiator Rustem Umerov, Zelensky said that the exchange would include civilians as well as soldiers. He added that preparations for another meeting with the Russian side were proceeding, without mentioning a date.
At the end of July, Zelensky said that a total of 5,857 people had been returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. An additional 555 people had been freed apart from the exchanges, he reported on X.
The two sides released prisoners most recently in July, concluding a phased exchange agreed in Istanbul at the end of June of 1,200 on each side.
The total number of prisoners on both sides remains unknown and is constantly changing.
There have also been repeated exchanges. The unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire called for by Ukraine at the Istanbul talks is not in sight. Moscow has instead offered brief truces for both sides to collect their fallen andinjured along the frontline.
Among Russian preconditions for a comprehensive ceasefire is that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine must be halted.
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