On November 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country was promoting the restoration of Prisoner exchanges with Russia to return 1,200 Ukrainians.
In a video posted on Telegram, he said many meetings, negotiations and calls are now being held for the effort. Previously, head of the Security Council of Ukraine, Mr. Rustem Umerov, said that he had held consultations in Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates with the support of Kiev partners, aiming to restart the exchange process.
According to Mr. Umerov, the parties agreed to return to the Istanbul agreement in 2022, which sets the rules for large-scale Prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
Since then, the two sides have exchanged thousands of prisoners, but this activity has been interrupted and has been affected many times by frontline fighting.
Consultations to determine details of procedures and organize the upcoming exchange will be implemented in the near future. Mr. Umerov expressed his hope that Ukrainians who are allowed to return from detention can reunite at home during the New Year and Christmas, and gather with their families, if the exchange process is successfully resumed. Moscow has not yet commented on Kiev's statements.
