Kremlin makes fresh claim on 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap
Photo: Russian president spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Getty Images)
A 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia will take time, but everyone is interested in doing it as soon as possible, reports Interfax citing Russian president spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“This matter (the military exchange - ed.) is quite laborious, and, of course, work is underway to exchange specific names. Since we are talking about thousand for thousand, of course, it takes some time,” he said.
Peskov added that the work is going on fast enough, as “we are interested in doing it as quickly as possible.”
Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul
On May 16, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in three years took place in Istanbul. Before that, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Türkiye to meet with Vladimir Putin, but the latter ignored the Ukrainian leader.
The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Russia, on the other hand, sent low-level officials to the talks, which drew criticism. The delegation was headed by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky.
After the talks, Ukraine's Defense Minister said that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to exchange prisoners in a 1,000-for-1,000 format.
