Kyiv is actively working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia, with the hope of securing the release of 1,200 Ukrainians, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In a video address posted on Telegram on Sunday, Zelensky stated, “We are looking forward to the resumption of exchange operations… We have now dedicated many meetings, negotiations, and calls to this purpose.”
Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian Security Council, said on Saturday that he had held consultations in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, with the support of Kyiv’s partners, regarding the resumption of exchanges.
In a statement on Telegram, Umerov added, “As a result of these negotiations, the parties agreed to return to the Istanbul agreements… This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians.”
Umerov indicated that consultations would be held in the near future to determine the procedural and organizational details of the operation. “We are working tirelessly so that the Ukrainians who will return from captivity can celebrate the New Year and Christmas at home, at the family table, and with their loved ones,” he explained.
The Istanbul agreements refer to understandings on prisoner exchanges reached through Turkish mediation in 2022. They established rules for large-scale and coordinated exchange operations between Russia and Ukraine. Based on these agreements, the two sides exchanged thousands of prisoners in intermittent operations that were disrupted by military escalation.
DZWatch will continue to monitor this developing situation.
