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.

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