Kremlin Maintains Readiness for Ukraine Prisoner Swap Despite Delays

 

The Kremlin announced on Monday that Russia remains willing to honor agreements with Ukraine for a new prisoner of war exchange and the repatriation of fallen soldiers, despite accusing Kyiv of failing to fulfill its commitments. Moscow alleges that Ukraine has indefinitely postponed the exchanges, accusations Kyiv denies.

Russian officials, including Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stated that Russia has seen numerous excuses but remains prepared to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2. These include exchanging at least 1,200 prisoners, focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded, and returning the bodies of those killed in the war.

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A Russian aide, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that Russian forces arrived at the exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers but found no Ukrainian officials present. He also noted that a list of 640 POWs had been handed over to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to prisoner exchanges, criticizing Russia for playing “dirty political and information games” and stating that Kyiv has yet to receive a full list of prisoners to be released.

While the broader peace negotiations have stalled, prisoner exchanges remain one of the few areas of agreement amid ongoing conflict.