Trump leaks secret Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap before it begins
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump prematurely revealed on social media the start of a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Officials in Kyiv had tried to keep the operation secret until it was completed, Politico informs.
On May 23, Ukraine and Russia launched their largest prisoner swap to date under a 1,000-for-1,000 format. On the first day, 390 Ukrainian prisoners returned home.
According to Politico, Kyiv kept the process under strict secrecy due to concerns about the safety of high-ranking individuals involved in the exchange near the Belarusian border.
However, when Trump woke up in Washington, he posted online that the exchange had already been completed.
"A major prisoner swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly. Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
However, as Politico reports, when Trump made that post, the first stage of the exchange had not even begun.
"(Trump -ed.) wanted to be the first to break the news about it. Fortunately, Trump's rushed post did not have any effect. But we usually do not report on the ongoing exchanges, as you never know with Russians. Our boys were too close to the enemy," a Ukrainian official told Politico on condition of anonymity.
This prisoner swap has so far been the only major success of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine facilitated by Trump.
After the exchange, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine remains committed to a ceasefire and hopes for continued support from the United States in achieving lasting peace.
1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap
As a reminder, on May 16, Ukrainian and Russian delegations held direct negotiations in Istanbul on ending the war. One of the outcomes was an agreement on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.
The process is taking place in several stages. On May 23, the first exchange took place. Both sides handed over 390 individuals each — 270 military personnel and 120 civilians.
Today marked the second day of the exchange. This time, 307 Ukrainian defenders returned home. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that 697 people have been brought back over the past two days, and more are expected to return tomorrow.
For more details on the first and second phases of the swap, read RBC-Ukraine's report.
