Prisoner of War Exchange in the Ukraine Conflict: Hope for Peace?

Prisoner of War Exchange in the Ukraine Conflict: Hope for Peace?

On Friday, talks between representatives of Moscow and Kiev took place in Istanbul under Turkish mediation. These discussions revolved around a possible end to the Russian war of aggression, but no agreement on a ceasefire was reached during the hour and a half of negotiations. An important point of the talks was the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war. This represents the largest exchange since the conflict began in February 2022. An exact date for the requested exchange has not been announced, but according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov, it will take place “in the near future.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported that they had agreed in principle to continue talks. Leonid Slutsky, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Russian Parliament, also expressed the expectation that a decision would be made quickly as to when new rounds of talks would take place. US President Donald Trump was skeptical and expressed low expectations for the meeting, but emphasized his willingness to have a direct conversation with Vladimir Putin. It is noteworthy that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously invited Putin to a personal meeting in Istanbul, but this was ignored by the Russian side.

Preparations for a ceasefire

Meanwhile, talks are underway in Saudi Arabia about a possible limited ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict. These discussions are being conducted under US mediation and are focused on a temporary halt to attacks on energy facilities and a ceasefire in the Black Sea. The negotiations are reported to be taking place at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. Kyiv and Moscow are not negotiating directly here. Instead, the USA took over as mediator and held initial discussions with Russia and then with Ukrainian representatives.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff expects progress, particularly on a ceasefire in the Black Sea. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described the discussions as “constructive,” while Russian spokesmen such as Dmitry Peskov consider security aspects in the Black Sea to be a priority. The US and Ukraine have fundamentally advocated a limited ceasefire, while the Kremlin is making a full ceasefire conditional on a halt to arms sales to Ukraine.

Current struggles and geopolitical implications

Despite ongoing negotiations, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops continues. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, there were 61 Russian attacks over a short period of time. Two people were injured in a drone attack by Russian forces in Kherson. In Kupyansk there were even four people injured by artillery fire. There was concern about a drone attack in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy that killed nine people and injured seven on Saturday.

Geopolitical efforts to end the conflict have increased in recent months. The EU is pushing for greater involvement in the negotiations, while countries like Poland stress that China could play a key role in pressuring Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine was waiting to hear back from Russia on its considerations and at the same time announced that it would prepare further sanctions if there was no positive response.

The roots of this conflict go back to spring 2022, when the first ceasefire negotiations began. Despite international efforts, including through UN resolutions, bilateral peace talks between Russia and Ukraine did not take place until February 2025. The Russian attack on Ukraine has since posed a massive challenge for the international community. While Donald Trump launched new attempts at mediation at the beginning of 2025, these have not yet been without resistance.

It remains to be seen whether the recent talks and possible mediation approaches in Saudi Arabia as well as the talks in Turkey can lead to more peaceful solutions and whether the warring parties are prepared to negotiate.

For further information about the ongoing negotiations and their background, read more at Small newspaper, daily news or on Wikipedia.