Ukraine is working to restart prisoner exchanges with Russia, with officials hoping to secure the release of 1,200 Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the country’s National Security and Defence Council have announced.
Ukraine is working to restart prisoner exchanges with Russia, with officials hoping to secure the release of 1,200 Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the country’s National Security and Defence Council have announced.
In a video message posted on Telegram on Sunday, President Zelenskyy said that renewed exchanges had become a central focus of ongoing diplomacy.
“We are … counting on the resumption of exchanges,” he said. “Many meetings, negotiations and calls are now devoted to this.”
Security chief Rustem Umerov said he had held consultations in Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates, with support from Kyiv’s international partners, aimed at bringing the stalled exchange process back on track.
According to Umerov, the discussions led to an agreement to return to the Istanbul understandings, the prisoner-exchange framework brokered with Turkish mediation in 2022.
“This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians,” he said in a Telegram statement.
Moscow has not immediately commented on Ukraine’s statements.
Istanbul agreements back in focus
The Istanbul agreements outline procedures for large-scale, coordinated prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine. The mechanism enabled the exchange of thousands of detainees over the past two years, though the process has often been disrupted by shifts on the frontline and wider escalation.
Umerov said further consultations will be held soon to finalise the procedural and organisational details required to restart the exchanges.
Kyiv hopes for returns before year-end holidays
The Ukrainian government says its goal is to secure releases in time for the winter holidays.
“We are working without pause so that Ukrainians who are to return from captivity can celebrate New Year and Christmas at home – at the family table and with their loved ones,” Umerov said.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment