Ukraine, Russia carry out another prisoner swap as third round of Istanbul peace talks concludes
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
Ukraine has brought home another group of soldiers released from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 23, marking yet another in a recent series of exchanges with Moscow.
The swap follows eight other exchanges carried out in recent weeks in accordance with an agreement reached between Kyiv and Moscow at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.
"The ninth phase of the Istanbul-negotiated exchange concluded today, facilitating the return of critically ill and severely wounded defenders," Zelensky said. "We are now able to disclose that, through all iterations of the recent Istanbul agreements, we have secured the return of more than 1,000 people. For a thousand families, this represents a profound opportunity to embrace their loved ones once more. Our appreciation goes to all who contributed to this."
Among the released Ukrainian service members, some were captured during the defense of Mariupol and had been held in captivity for over three years.
The group also includes the last remaining defender of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a serviceman from Ukraine's Border Guard Service. The ages of the freed soldiers span a wide range, from 27 to 66 years old. They had served across various fronts, including the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions.
The step also coincides with the third round of negotiations in Istanbul, which focused on a ceasefire, the repatriation of prisoners and abducted children, and preparations for a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine expects further exchanges based on the June 2 agreements, Zelensky said earlier this week.
The initial round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, held on May 16, marked the first direct negotiations between the two parties since early 2022. While no breakthrough toward ending the war was achieved, the sides agreed on a "1,000-for-1,000" prisoner exchange, the largest swap of the war.
The subsequent second round led to an agreement on further exchanges focusing on severely ill or wounded captives and those younger than 25, as well as a deal on the repatriation of fallen soldiers.
Ukraine continues to advocate for a full-scale "all-for-all" exchange, a proposal that Russia has so far rejected.
As during the earlier rounds, the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul is led by Rustem Umerov, now serving as the National Security and Defense Council secretary, and includes representatives from Ukraine's military intelligence, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Office.
The Russian delegation is again led by Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian leader has repeatedly declined to participate in person, sending lower-level officials instead.
While Russia and Ukraine have remained far apart in their demands during negotiations, the peace efforts were given a new impetus after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on July 14 that he would slap "severe" tariffs on Russia unless it agrees to end the war within 50 days.
