Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that Ukraine had returned 390 prisoners of war to Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry also said that Russia had returned 390 individuals in a prisoner swap with Ukraine. According to the ministry, each side released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians.
The largest prisoner swap since the war began is the first stage of the “1000-for-1000” exchange agreement reached during the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“On Saturday and Sunday, we expect the exchange to continue,” he added.
After more than three years of fighting, both countries are holding thousands of prisoners of war. Russia is believed to hold the larger share, with an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Ukrainian captives.
Trump first announced the swap
Earlier in the day, in a social media post, US President Donald Trump announced a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
“A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly,” he wrote on Truth Social.
The US president congratulated both sides, asking if “this could lead to something big.”
Trump, who claimed on the campaign trail that he could end the war in 24 hours, shifted US policy from supporting Ukraine to accepting some of Russia’s account of the war.
Although he said he could tighten sanctions on Moscow if it blocked peace, after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he decided to take no action for now.
Still no signs of ceasefire
The agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each was the only concrete step toward peace that emerged from last week’s two-hour talks in Istanbul, the first direct talks between the warring sides in over three years.
The parties were unable to reach an agreement on the 30-day ceasefire proposed by Trump. The prisoners exchange, the largest of its kind to date, also did not appear to signal an end to the fighting.
Moscow says it is ready for talks while the fighting continues, reiterating its demands that Ukraine cede more territory and be disarmed, as well as be barred from military alliances with the West.
Kyiv says this is tantamount to surrender and would leave Ukraine defenseless against future Russian attacks.
Edited by: Alex Berry
