Kremlin says Russia transferred list of names to Ukraine for prisoner swap

ISTANBUL

The Kremlin said Thursday that it handed a list of names to Ukraine for a prisoner swap involving 1,000 prisoners from each side, agreed between Moscow and Kyiv during direct talks in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.

“We have indeed handed over our list. We have not yet received a counter list from Kyiv. We are waiting,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv received the list in question following a meeting on preparations for the swap, writing on X that his team is clarifying details for those named on the list submitted by Moscow.

“Returning all of our people from Russian captivity is one of Ukraine’s key objectives. I am grateful to everyone who is contributing to this effort,” he said, adding that the deal was “perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Türkiye.”

Türkiye facilitated the first direct talks last week between Russia and Ukraine in three years in Istanbul, where the two sides agreed to the large-scale exchange of prisoners and continue negotiations for a truce.

• Dmitry Peskov
• Kremlin
• Russia
• Ukraine