Ukraine, US in two-day talks, signs point to new prisoner swaps — Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
Two days of meetings between Ukrainian and US officials have concluded in the United States, with outcomes including signals that prisoner swaps could continue, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement.
"It is clear that the attention of the American side at this time is primarily focused on the situation around Iran and in that region, but this war of Russia against Ukraine must also be brought to an end," the president said.
Zelenskyy stressed that it is essential "to ensure that the aggressor is not rewarded for this war." He also added that security guarantees for Ukraine and the EU must be strong enough to ensure lasting peace and prevent a return to war in the coming months or years.
"There are signals that further exchanges may be possible, and this would indeed be very good news and confirmation that diplomacy is working. We hope this will happen," he noted.
#Zelenskyy on the signals of further #prisoner #swaps pic.twitter.com/myQZk0vfDQ
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) March 22, 2026
Ukraine's leader also stated that Russian leader Putin does not want to end the war.
Peace talks on Ukraine
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine, the United States, and Russia have held three rounds of peace talks. A fourth round was expected in early March but was postponed due to the Middle East conflict.
In recent days, Ukraine and Russia have officially confirmed that talks are currently on hold. The sides have not abandoned talks, but meetings are being delayed at the US's request.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy said the main goal of the meetings in the United States is to understand how genuinely ready Russia is to end the war. According to him, after the first round of consultations in Florida, the Ukrainian team will continue negotiations with the American side.
The Ukrainian president also stressed that the negotiation process in the United States is taking place without Russian representatives. During the meeting, the Ukrainian delegation planned to raise three key issues to achieve peace.
