Ukraine expects several prisoner exchanges agreed upon in Istanbul

Ukraine is expecting several exchanges of military and civilian prisoners, which Kyiv and Moscow agreed to during the second round of talks in Turkey, reported president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I have heard reports on the completed stages of prisoner exchanges and those that are being prepared. We expect several stages of exchanges to fulfill the agreements of the second meeting in Istanbul and continue our other activities to liberate our people – both military and civilians," the head of state said.

This work is coordinated by the newly appointed Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, "all the necessary forces and institutions are involved" in the process, the president said.

"During the spring and summer of this year, we managed to significantly intensify exchanges. Among those released from captivity are people who were in the category of missing persons, as well as people who had been held in Russian prisons and camps since before the full-scale war. That is why our team is checking the information on each name. We are looking for all our people," Zelenskyy said.

There were also separate reports on the rehabilitation of those returned from captivity, as well as investigations into crimes against Ukrainian prisoners.

• The day before, Zelenskyy said that the third round of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Turkey will take place on July 23.

• The agenda of the new talks will include the return of prisoners and children abducted by Russia, as well as preparations for a meeting at the level of the leaders of the countries. The head of the delegation is again Umerov, but in the status of NSDC secretary.

• The only real results of the two Istanbul meetings were large prisoner exchanges and the bodies of the dead. Before the exchange of bodies, Ukraine faced provocations by the Russian Federation. Later, it turned out that Moscow was once again handing over the fallen defenders with bodies of the occupiers.

• The new meeting in Turkey will take place against the backdrop of Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Russia and implementation a new scheme for the purchase of military aid for Ukraine.