Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that Kyiv is compiling a list of prisoners to be exchanged with Russia, following an agreement reached during the latest round of peace talks in Istanbul last month. The announcement came after Zelenskyy met with National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak to discuss the implementation of agreements made during the July 23 talks in Türkiye — the third round of renewed negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. "Among the key issues is the continuation of POW exchanges. There is an agreement to exchange 1,200 people, and work on the lists is ongoing," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. He added that Umerov, who led Ukraine's delegation in Istanbul, had updated him on communications with the Russian side. Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is working to secure the release of detained civilians, verifying information on each case. Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia's delegation, confirmed after the July talks that both sides had completed a previous exchange of 1,200 prisoners each and had agreed to conduct another swap in the same format. The Ukrainian leader said Yermak briefed him on coordination with international partners, particularly the United States, to support Kyiv's diplomatic initiatives. Prior to the July meeting, two earlier rounds of talks in Türkiye — on May 16 and June 2 — had restarted peace negotiations stalled since March 2022, when the last formal discussions also took place in Istanbul. — Agencies
