Russia and Ukraine agreed on Friday, during conversations in Türkiye, exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war on each side. This was stated by the negotiators of both parties in televised statements separately.
“In the next few days there will be an exchange of large -scale prisoners, 1,000 for 1,000,” said Russian Vladimir Medinsky. The main Ukrainian negotiator, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, also confirmed the exchange and said that there was talk of a high fire and a possible meeting between the leaders of both countries.
Russia is “satisfied” of the first peace conversations since 2022 with Ukraine that took place in Istanbul and states that it is “willing to continue contacts,” said its negotiator.
“In general, we are satisfied with the result and willing to continue contacts,” said Vladimir Medinski to the press in a brief speech.
France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland met with Zelenski in Albania
The leaders of France, Emmanuel Macron, Germany, Friedrich Merz, United Kingdom, Keir Starmer and Poland, Donald Tusk, met on Friday in Tirana with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, shortly after finishing a round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, the French presidency reported.
Shortly before, Zelenski had asked for an “energetic reaction” in case of failure of the conversations before the leaders of the European continent in Albania. For his part, President Emmanuel Macron said that Russia had no “desire” to conclude a high fire in Ukraine and that it would be necessary to “increase the pressure” to force it to do so.
