Ukraine seeks to bring back up to 1,200 people in next prisoner swap with Russia, Zelensky says

Ukraine aims to return up to 1,200 prisoners of war (POWs) in the next exchange with Russia following the second round of talks in Istanbul, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 2 during an online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine and Russia held direct talks in Turkey earlier in the day, agreeing on a new prisoner swap, which will reportedly include young people between the ages of 18 and 25, as well as people with serious injuries.

Zelensky said the next exchange is expected to be in a 1,000-for-1,000 format, with the possibility of increasing the number to 1,200 people on each side. The president added that future swap could also involve imprisoned journalists and political prisoners held in Russia.

"It is very important that the Russians allow the lists to be checked in advance, unlike last time," Zelensky said.

Ukraine and Russia held a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange from May 23 to 25 after previously agreeing to the exchange at peace talks on May 16. Aside from yielding a prisoner exchange, the peace negotiations in Istanbul were largely inconclusive.

Apart from Ukrainian prisoners of war, the exchange list also reportedly included Anatolii Taranenko, a Ukrainian service member accused of collaborating with Russia.

Taranenko's alleged inclusion in the exchange exacerbated criticism that Ukraine failed to secure the release of any Azov fighters and many civilians who had been held captive by Russia for years in what was the largest prisoner swap of the full-scale war.

Andrii Yusov, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW), said that Kyiv could not influence who Russia decided to release in the recent swap.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York