Main points
- Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange mediated by the United States.
- President Zelenskyy said that the lists have already been transferred to Russia, and contacts regarding the exchange are ongoing.
Prisoner exchange is being prepared / Photo: Office of the President
Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the US, have agreed on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. The details of the exchange are still being agreed upon.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the upcoming prisoner exchange based on the report of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov. The latter recently met with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
When will there be a large-scale prisoner exchange?
According to the head of state, communication with US representatives takes place virtually every day.
The President emphasized the importance of Washington continuing to engage in diplomacy and, in particular, acting as a mediator on the issue of prisoner exchange.
Contacts are ongoing at the necessary level to agree on the exchange configuration. Lists have been transferred,
– the politician said.
He also expressed hope that the American side would help implement this agreement.
What preceded this?
On May 8, it became known that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners. Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that it was in exchange for the opportunity to free thousands of Ukrainians from Russian captivity that Kyiv allowed the aggressor to hold a parade in silence.
On May 9, during a briefing, Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine was allegedly not ready for a prisoner exchange.
According to the dictator, the idea for the exchange came from the United States. Russia allegedly immediately agreed and on May 5 sent a corresponding proposal to Kyiv along with a list of 500 prisoners of war. According to Putin, Ukraine initially delayed its response, then reduced the scale of the exchange to 200 by 200, and later declared that it was not ready for the exchange at all.
The Office of the President of Ukraine denied the Kremlin leader's statement. They emphasized that the agreement on the exchange was reached through US mediation, and it is they who must ensure its implementation.
Back in February 2026, Volodymyr Zelensky said that 7,000 Ukrainians were held captive by the Russians, and more than 4,000 Russians were held captive in Ukraine.
Note that the last exchange this year took place on April 24, 2026. Then 193 Ukrainian soldiers returned home.