Russia, Ukraine Reach Prisoner Exchange Deal
(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine wrapped up their third round of peace negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye on Wednesday, reaching a crucial agreement to exchange at least 1,200 prisoners from each side.
The high-level talks commenced at approximately 8:37 p.m. local time (17:37 GMT) and concluded shortly after, at 9:16 p.m. (18:16 GMT).
Vladimir Medinsky, leading the Russian delegation, revealed that Russia proposed establishing three dedicated online working groups focusing separately on political, humanitarian, and military matters.
Medinsky confirmed the agreement to swap at least 1,200 detainees per side, emphasizing that Moscow offered to exchange not only combatants but also civilians, including around 30 individuals detained by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region last year.
He added that Russia has already repatriated the remains of roughly 7,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers and expressed willingness to transfer an additional 3,000, while requesting Ukraine return any deceased Russian soldiers in their possession.
"As soon as the Ukrainian side is technically ready to receive them, the remains of the deceased will be transferred to Ukraine with the assistance of the Red Cross," Medinsky stated.
Moscow also urged for the declaration of 24- to 48-hour ceasefires to facilitate the evacuation of wounded fighters and the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies.
"We have once again proposed to the Ukrainian side to consider what we believe is a critically important measure: declaring short-term ceasefires (24-48 hours) along the line of combat contact. This would allow medical teams to evacuate the wounded and enable commanders to recover the bodies of fallen soldiers," he said.
Medinsky highlighted that medical evacuation teams face severe danger in the so-called "gray zone," where ongoing drone surveillance creates unpredictable and hazardous conditions for rescuing injured soldiers.
Addressing concerns about child detainees, he noted, "Concerning claims about tens of thousands of children supposedly taken from Ukraine, we have thoroughly reviewed the complete list of 339 Ukrainian children provided to us. Each name and surname has been processed, and some children have already been returned to Ukraine. Work continues on the remaining cases. If legal parents, close relatives, or legal representatives are located, these children will be immediately repatriated."
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