The Ukrainian president said today that it brought back 390 people from Russian captivity to the first phase of the exchange of 1,000 to 1,000 prisoners of war agreed with Russia in Constantinople.
“The first phase of the 1,000 to 1,000 exchange agreement was completed” with the repatriation of “390 people,” the Ukrainian president wrote in a post in X. “We expect the exchange that the exchange will continue on Saturday and Sunday,” he added.
Today, 390 people are back home – both military and civilians. Tomorrow and the day after – the next stages will follow. The formula is “a thousand for a thousand.”
What matters most is that Ukraine is bringing its people home. I thank everyone around the world who is helping.…– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@zelenskyyua)
“It is very important for everyone to be captured. We check every surname, information for each person, “Zelenski wrote in a post in the Telegram app.
“We will continue our diplomatic work to make such steps loudly,” he added.
Russia had earlier stated that it exchanged 270 Ukrainian soldiers and 120 civilians with corresponding numbers of its own soldiers and civilians.
Lavrov: After exchange the terms for peace agreement
Russia will transmit to Ukraine a document exposing its terms of a long -term peace agreement as soon as the exchange of prisoners of war with Kiev is completed, the Russian Foreign Minister said today.
Russia and Ukraine today released 390 prisoners each and said that others will follow over the weekend, in the largest exchanging of prisoners of war.
“As soon as the exchange is completed, we will be ready to forward to the Ukrainian side the draft of the Russian side, which is in the finalization process,” Lavrov said, according to the ministry’s statement.
The leader of Russian diplomacy noted that this draft contains “the terms of a sustainable, overall and long -term agreement” to settle the war in Ukraine.
Kiev should also prepare a similar document, as agreed in the talks between the two sides in Constantinople in mid -May. In those first direct negotiations from 2022, it was also agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.
