Russia and Ukraine carry out the largest prisoner exchange of the entire war

MoscowThe largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine since the war began has begun. Each country pledged to hand over 1,000 prisoners as part of the agreements Moscow and Kiev reached last Friday at direct talks in Istanbul, the first in three years. On the first of the three days during which the deal will be finalized, 270 military personnel and 120 civilians were released from each side.

Until now, the largest prisoner exchange took place on April 19, coinciding with Orthodox Easter. At that time, each army released more than 250 enemy soldiers. In total, it is estimated that, once the current exchange is completed, both sides will have handed over nearly 6,000 prisoners of war, including civilians, in more than 60 swaps. This practice has remained more or less stable throughout the war, despite the public breakdown of diplomatic contacts between Kiev and Moscow.

Donald Trump wanted to take the credit, announcing the news even before the exchange was finalized. The US president congratulated both parties on the negotiations. However, the initiative did not come from the United States, which was vetoed by Russia from participating in the meeting with Ukraine, but rather from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, when he realized that the two delegations' positions were at odds.

The prisoner exchange is the only tangible agreement reached by the two sides in Istanbul. Vladimir Putin's envoys threatened to invade new Ukrainian territories if Volodymyr Zelensky did not cede all of the annexed regions, including the parts under Kiev's control, and in the last few hours the Kremlin has confirmed its intentions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that he "will not allow under any circumstances" that, as a result of a peace agreement, millions of Russian-speaking citizens will be trapped in "what remains of Ukraine" under the rule of "Zelensky's junta."

This statement is in line with the fact that Trump, according to the Wall Street JournalAfter speaking by phone with Putin, Lavrov conveyed to European leaders that the Russian president is unwilling to stop the war because he believes he is winning. The American leader also assured them that the Vatican would host the next talks between Russia and Ukraine, but Lavrov dismissed this, claiming it would be "inelegant" to resolve a conflict between two Orthodox countries at the headquarters of the Catholic Church.