1,000-for-1,000 exchange to take place soon, date already set – Umerov. VIDEO
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that during negotiations with the Russian side in Istanbul, the issue of a prisoner swap in a "1000-for-1000" format was discussed.
Umerov made the statement at a press conference following the meeting with the Russian delegation in Istanbul, according to Censor.NET.
"We have a directive from the president. The goal of our negotiations was to discuss a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners. We are also potentially preparing a meeting between the countries’ leaders… A 1000-for-1000 exchange could take place in the near future. We know the date, but we will not announce it yet," the defense minister said.
Ukrainian representatives will provide updates on the next steps at a later time.
Talks in Turkey
On the night of May 11, Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Turkey on May 15.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine must immediately agree to Russia’s proposal for direct talks in Turkey.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would personally wait for Putin on May 15. He also noted that he would like Trump to be present in Turkey as well.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin officially approved the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul on May 15 for negotiations with Ukraine.
On May 15, the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukraine.
It was later reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for negotiations with the Russian side.
Russian media later reported that the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul had been rescheduled for May 16.
On the evening of May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation for participation in the negotiation process with the Russian Federation in Türkiye, scheduled for May 15–16.
On May 16, in the second half of the day, a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations began, with participation from the Turkish side.
Less than two hours after it began, the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye in Istanbul on May 16 concluded.
