Ukraine and Türkiye discuss security situation and POW returns
Photo: Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye Hakan Fidan (t.me/umerov_rustem)
Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov met in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. One of the topics discussed was the return of Ukrainian prisoners, according to Umerov’s post.
According to him, the talks with Fidan focused on the security situation, the progress of negotiation processes, and the coordination of further steps.
"As always, special attention was paid to the humanitarian track and the issue of bringing our people home," the NSDC secretary said.
He noted that Türkiye is an important partner for Ukraine and one of the key platforms for dialogue. The work is continuing in close coordination.
Umerov said he briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the results of his talks with Fidan.
Updated at 06:08 p.m.
Umerov also met in Türkiye with the head of the National Intelligence Organization, İbrahim Kalın. They exchanged assessments of the security situation, discussed possible scenarios for further developments, and coordinated actions in light of the dynamics of negotiations and the regional environment.
"We also discussed the release of our prisoners of war, as well as the return of civilians and children illegally abducted by Russia. We are continuing systematic work within the existing formats of cooperation," the NSDC Secretary said.
Russia delays prisoner exchanges
Earlier, on December 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the process of prisoner exchanges with Russia had effectively stopped because it was being delayed by Moscow.
He said that NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov had reached an agreement with the Russian side on a large prisoner exchange before the New Year, but that Russia had slowed the process.
As a result, as of January 1, no prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia had taken place.
Meanwhile, on December 31, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 10,000 Russian soldiers have been taken prisoner. On average, between 60 and 90 Russian soldiers surrender to Ukrainian defenders each week.
At the same time, more Russian soldiers were captured in 2025 than in 2022 and 2023 combined.
