Prisoner swap was only meaningful outcome of meeting in Türkiye. Russia is blocking everything else, says Zelenskyy. VIDEO
The large-scale prisoner exchange based on the "1000-for-1000" formula, the first stage of which took place on May 23, was described by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the "only meaningful outcome" of the negotiations in Türkiye. According to the Head of State, Russia is blocking everything else.
He said this in a video address, Censor.NET reports.
"Today’s main development is the exchange. This is the first stage of the largest prisoner swap agreed upon in Türkiye. In fact, it is the only meaningful result of the meeting—everything else is being blocked by Russia. For now, they are blocking it. But bringing our people home is what we always work for. We will definitely bring everyone back. Every one of our citizens—every Ukrainian soldier and civilian, all Ukrainian hostages held in Russia, we must free them all," the President stated.
Zelenskyy also said that the next stages of the major prisoner exchange are scheduled for May 24 and 25.
"Today, nearly 400 people—390—are back home. These are both military personnel and civilians. Tomorrow and the day after, more stages will follow. The formula is one thousand for one thousand. I am grateful to our entire team involved in making this exchange possible," the Head of State said.
He expressed gratitude to all the soldiers on the front line who help replenish Ukraine’s prisoner exchange pool, as well as to law enforcement officers who add Russian saboteurs and collaborators to that pool.
"What matters is that Ukraine is bringing its people back. I thank everyone around the world who supports us," the Ukrainian leader added.
As reported, on May 23, 390 Ukrainians returned home from Russian captivity. This marked the first stage of the prisoner exchange under the "1000-for-1000" formula.
