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Zelenskyy: Ukraine Negotiating 1,200-Person POW Swap With Russia
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Russia reached a preliminary agreement to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war, Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 3.
Negotiations are currently focused on finalizing the lists of those eligible for release.
“There is an agreement to exchange 1,200 people, and work on the lists is ongoing,” Zelenskyy said.
“The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) reported on communication with the Russian representative. We are also working to unblock the return of our civilians and are verifying data on each individual.”
Together with NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov and Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, we discussed the negotiation track – specifically, the implementation of the agreements reached during the meetings with the Russian side in Istanbul, as well as preparations for a new… pic.twitter.com/19wA2cZMsP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 3, 2025
The update came after a high-level meeting focused on implementing agreements reached during recent negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul. Discussions also covered preparations for a follow-up meeting.
Zelenskyy said that NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov and Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak participated in the talks, which included coordination with international partners—especially the United States—and efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia.
Yermak “reported on coordination with key partners supporting our diplomatic efforts – in particular, contacts with the American side – and on efforts to secure the return of children who were abducted and taken to Russia,” Zelenskyy noted.
The format and date of the upcoming prisoner exchange remain undisclosed.
The previous exchange—the ninth since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion—took place on July 23. Among those released were service members from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, including personnel from the Air Assault Forces, Naval Forces, Territorial Defense, as well as the State Border Guard Service, National Guard, and National Police.
That exchange also saw the return of the last remaining defender of Zmiinyi Island—a Ukrainian border guard who had been held in Russian captivity.
Zelenskyy added that broader national security issues were discussed, including preparations for Ukraine’s winter energy needs, the development of its air defense capabilities, and plans for long-range strikes on Russian logistics.
“The audit of the implementation of NSDC and the Staff decisions is ongoing. Unfortunately, some of the decisions have not been implemented. This will be promptly rectified,” he said.
Earlier, reports emerged that Ukraine has managed to bring home 5,857 people from Russian captivity, with an additional 555 released outside of formal prisoner exchanges since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
