Ukraine’s leadership says it is pushing to restart stalled prisoner-exchange negotiations with Russia, aiming to secure the return of roughly 1,200 Ukrainian detainees still held in Russian custody. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Sunday that the issue has become a top priority in ongoing diplomatic outreach.
“We are counting on the resumption of exchanges,” Zelenskyy said in a video message posted on Telegram, noting that multiple rounds of talks and calls with international partners in recent days have centered on the matter.
National Security and Defence Council chief Rustem Umerov said he held consultations in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates over the weekend, with support from Kyiv’s foreign allies, to accelerate efforts to revive the exchange process. According to Umerov, the discussions led to an agreement to return to the framework of the Istanbul arrangements — a set of protocols negotiated in 2022 under Turkish mediation that enabled large-scale, coordinated prisoner swaps between the two countries.
“This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians,” Umerov said in a statement on Telegram, adding that further meetings will be scheduled soon to determine the organisational and procedural steps needed to restart exchanges.
Russia has not publicly responded to Ukraine’s latest statements.
Thousands of captives have been exchanged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, but swaps have grown less frequent amid intensified fighting and rising political tensions. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russia of delaying or obstructing exchange mechanisms, while families of detainees have continued to press the government for progress.
Umerov said Ukrainian officials are working continuously to ensure that as many captives as possible can return home before the upcoming New Year and Christmas holidays.
“Our goal is simple — to bring people back to their families, to their homes, where they belong,” he said.
Source:Africa Publicity
