Putin claims Ukraine 'not ready' for prisoner exchange talks
Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
Kremlin head Vladimir Putin effectively undermines an agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap with Ukraine, according to Russian media.
Putin states that Russia allegedly initiated the prisoner swap proposal on May 5. He claims that Ukraine initially said it would consider the swap, but later refused.
"On May 5, we submitted proposals to the Ukrainian side regarding the swap and sent Ukraine a list of 500 Ukrainian servicemen held in Russia. The initial reaction was that it needed closer consideration—maybe not all 500, maybe 200. And then they simply disappeared and directly said they were not ready for this exchange," the Russian president stated.
He also added that no new proposals were made, but claimed that the United States proposed a 1,000-for-1,000 swap, which Moscow immediately supported.
"Therefore, when President Trump made the proposal, of course, we immediately supported it. And we naturally expect that the Ukrainian side will still respond to the proposal of the President of the United States," he said.
Background
Earlier this week, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a ceasefire for May 8–9. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed not waiting for those dates and instead imposing a ceasefire starting on the night of May 6, which Russia ultimately violated. As a result, Ukraine responded in kind on the nights of May 7 and 8.
On the evening of May 8, US President Donald Trump announced that, at his request, Ukraine and Russia had agreed to a ceasefire on May 9, 10, and 11, adding that it would include a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap.
Shortly afterward, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine's agreement to the ceasefire, noting that the prisoner swap would serve as an additional factor.
