Ukraine has officially demanded that Russia return hundreds of children forcibly taken from Ukrainian territory, making this one of the core conditions for any eventual peace agreement, Rks News reports.
During the latest talks between delegations in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side handed over a detailed list of children whom Kyiv says were illegally deported or are being held in Russian-occupied areas.
“These are hundreds of children whom Russia has illegally deported, forcibly displaced, or keeps in temporarily occupied territories,” said Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the Ukrainian President.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has set three main conditions for peace negotiations:
- A complete, unconditional cease-fire
- Release of all prisoners
- Repatriation of the abducted children
Zelensky also announced preparations for a new prisoner-exchange deal. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov told reporters that the forthcoming swap will prioritize severely wounded soldiers and younger troops and will include the return of fallen soldiers’ remains.
The last large-scale exchange saw 1,000 prisoners freed on each side.
