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Volodymyr Zelensky/xRussia and Ukraine have handed over over 390 soldiers and civilians in the largest exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
They both returned 270 troops and 120 civilians on the Ukrainian border with Belarus, as part of the only deal agreed in direct conversations in Istanbul a week ago.
Both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners and confirmed that there would be additional swaps in the coming days.
Although there were dozens of exchanges smaller, no other show included as much civilians.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that servicemen and civilians, including captured by the Ukrainian forces in the Kursk border region in Russia during the Kiev offensive in recent months, were among the transmitted.
They were currently in Belarusian territory and had to be taken to Russia for medical examination and treatment, the ministry said.
Russian“We are taking our people home,” said Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski on social media.
“We check every surname, every detail for each person.”
The coordination headquarters of Ukraine for prisoners of war said the 270 Ukrainian troops fought in regions from the east and north, from Kiev, Chernihiv and sums to Donetsk, Harciw and Harson.
Three of 390 released on Friday were women, staff said, and some of the soldiers took place since 2022.
US President Donald Trump has previously published his congratulations on his social platform for the truth, claiming that Swap is completed and “this can lead to something big ???”.
Families of the Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia gathered in northern Ukraine on Friday, hoping that their sons and spouses would be among the liberated.
Natalia, whose son Jelizar was captured during the battle for the city of Northodonetsk three years ago, told the BBC that he believed he would come back, but did not know when.
Olha said that after her son Valerie was captured with five more soldiers to the east, her life stopped because she did not know if they were still alive.
“They were captured two months ago in Luhansk. They disappeared in the village.”
The replacement of prisoners was agreed in Turkey a week ago, when low -level delegations from Ukraine and Russia were facing face -to -face for the first time since March 2022, although the meeting lasted only two hours and failed to make any progress towards the termination of fire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that there would be a second round of negotiations when Moscow would hand over a “memorandum” to the Ukrainian side.
Trump said earlier this week that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” will start negotiating to end the fire and end the war, after a two-hour phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Since then Zelenski has Accused Putin of “trying to buy time” to continue the war.
Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has Support a proposal from Trump That the Vatican can mediate in negotiations on fire termination negotiations, but Lavrov said this is not a very realistic option. “
The Russian foreign minister repeated an unjustified claim that Zelenski was not a legitimate leader and proposed to hold new elections before signing a potentially future peace agreement.
Asked if Russia was ready to sign a deal, Lavrov replied: “We must have a deal first. And when it is agreed, then we will decide. But as President Putin says many times, President Zelenski has no legitimacy.”
He said that once an agreement is ready, Russia will “see which of the authorities in Ukraine has legitimacy.”
“The key task now is to prepare a peace agreement that will be reliable and to provide long -term, stable and just peace without creating threats to anyone’s security. In our case, we deal with Russia.”