Russia and Ukraine complete largest prisoner exchange of war, says Trump

The prisoner swap involving 1,000 captives from each side follows direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, their first face-to-face peace negotiations since 2022

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that Russia and Ukraine had completed their largest prisoner exchange since the war began, with 1,000 captives expected to be released from each side.

 

Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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???"

 

A senior Ukrainian official also confirmed with the Associated Press today that "a major prisoner swap is underway", however, no official remark has come from Russia yet.

 

The exchange follows high-level talks held last week in Istanbul, marking the first direct peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022.

 

 

Largest swap since Russia Ukraine war began

Ukrainian officials had earlier pushed for a 30-day ceasefire during the Istanbul talks, but Russia reportedly declined. Instead, the two sides agreed to a limited gesture of goodwill in the form of the prisoner exchange.

 

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia had received a list of Ukrainian prisoners for release and had submitted its own list in return. He described the process as “complex but fast-moving,” signalling intent on both sides to finalise the deal swiftly. 

 

Trump also held a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. While no ceasefire was announced, Trump said both nations had agreed to resume broader negotiations.

 

Ukraine wary of Russia's intent

 

Despite the breakthrough on prisoners, Kyiv remains sceptical. Earlier this month, Ukraine had also called for a 30-day ceasefire ahead of the talks, but Russia declined. Ukrainian officials have since accused Moscow of dragging out peace negotiations and using talks to buy time and regroup militarily.

 

Despite the absence of a broader peace agreement, the prisoner swap is being seen as a rare instance of cooperation.

 

Trump, Putin 2-hour phone call

The exchange comes just days after a two-hour phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the call also did not result in a ceasefire, Trump claimed it helped reopen direct communication between Moscow and Kyiv.

 

Trump also hinted in his post that the development could be the beginning of something larger, raising speculation that further diplomatic moves may be in motion. The Kremlin separately noted that Trump and Putin had also discussed a potential US-Russia prisoner exchange.