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(Washington, DC) – As the push for peace continues, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to a prisoner swap. Amid renewed hope for a protracted ceasefire — or outright end to the hostilities — this diplomatic exchange is another positive sign. Reports indicate that 1,000 prisoners of war will be swapped — one of the largest exchanges since the war began in 2023.
This also follows direct negotiations between both sides last week. The talks, held in Turkey, did not include a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin — as some had hoped — but did represent progress. President Trump had suggested at the time (while traveling abroad in the Middle East) that his absence from the meeting meant that Putin would not attend. Zelenskyy was in Turkey but did not directly participate in the talks.
On Truth Social, Trump announced the swap would go into effect shortly — and he congratulated both sides. The president also suggested the swap demonstrated a positive step forward in efforts, as Russia has been hesitant to implement an unconditional ceasefire.
Generally speaking, there are some negotiation points that are considered “non starters” for Moscow — including the notion that Ukraine must be barred from ever joining NATO, among other things. It’s also unlikely that Russia would surrender their gains within the Donbas region, which has historically and ethnically been “Russian” for some time. Outside of that, Putin has threatened to advance his war effort further west toward Kiev if the war is not stopped.
