Ukraine and Russia agree to new prisoner exchange

Delegations from Ukraine and the Russian Federation have agreed on a new prisoner exchange during a meeting held in Istanbul on June 2, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking at a press conference in Vilnius following the NATO Eastern Flank Summit, Zelensky said, “Regarding the talks in Istanbul, I am waiting for a full report from [Ukrainian Defense Minister] Umerov. They exchanged ideas, and we are preparing for a new exchange of military prisoners.”

Today’s meeting in Istanbul saw both sides share their respective demands for the upcoming exchange.

Earlier, during negotiations on May 16 in Turkey, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations reached an agreement for a large-scale prisoner swap in a 1000-for-1000 format, which was implemented in stages over several days.