Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he would continue efforts for a prisoner exchange with Moscow, despite expressing doubts about its success.
“Ukraine continues to do everything possible to ensure the release of our prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of our fallen fighters,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
“Unfortunately, the complete lists from Russia for the exchange of over 1,000 people, as agreed in Istanbul, have still not been submitted. As usual, the Russian side is once again trying to turn even such issues into a dirty political and information game,” he added.
Zelensky warned that if the Kremlin “does not adhere to agreements, even on humanitarian issues, this will cast great doubt on all international efforts – especially those of the United States – for negotiations and diplomacy.”
Pressure from Washington and Europe Needed
Meanwhile, Zelensky told the American television network ABC that only “great pressure” from Washington and Europe could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to yield. “Then, they will stop the war,” he said.
On Sunday, Ukrainian officials rejected Russia’s accusations that Kyiv was delaying the exchange of prisoners of war and the return of fallen soldiers’ bodies. Kremlin advisor Vladimir Medinsky had claimed that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed both the prisoner exchange and the acceptance of soldiers’ bodies indefinitely. Medinsky said that Russia had already provided Ukraine with a list of 640 prisoners – prioritizing the wounded, seriously ill, and young – to start the exchange process.
Ukraine Accuses Russia of Reneging on Agreements
Ukraine’s Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War stated that Russia’s claims do not align with reality or prior agreements. According to Ukrainian officials, although both sides had agreed in principle to the return of the bodies of approximately 12,000 deceased soldiers after peace talks in Istanbul, no specific date for the exchange had been set.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense accused Moscow of attempting to “rewrite” the agreements reached in Istanbul and creating “artificial obstacles and false statements” to delay the process. The ministry warned that if Russia does not fulfill its promises, it calls into question the credibility of the Russian negotiating team.
United States President Donald Trump has called on both sides to end the war, which began in February 2022. Kyiv has agreed to the U.S. call for a 30-day ceasefire. Moscow has refused, stating that certain conditions, deemed unacceptable by Ukraine, must first be met.
