Trump Says Russia and Ukraine ‘Completed’ Major Prisoner Swap
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Russia and Ukraine Begin First Stage of Major Prisoner Exchange
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine returned 270 Russian prisoners of war and 120 civilians. The sides never confirmed when and where the swap would take place. U.S. President Donald Trump had claimed that Russia and Ukraine “completed” the exchange.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine returned 270 Russian prisoners of war and 120 civilians, adding that they were all currently receiving medical attention in neighboring Belarus.
“I Want to Live,” a Ukrainian hotline that helps Russian soldiers surrender, told the exiled broadcaster TV Rain that the exchange “is planned to continue in the coming days.”
During their first direct talks since early 2022 in Istanbul last week, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. However, the sides never confirmed when and where the swap would take place.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump had claimed that Russia and Ukraine “completed” the exchange, expressing hope the move could “lead to something big.”
“Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Russia and Ukraine last released 205 prisoners of war each on May 6. The United Arab Emirates brokered that exchange.
Russia Ukraine war latest: Moscow hits Kyiv with drone and missile strikes for second night
At least 13 people killed as Russian forces attack Kyiv and other cities. Russia said it intercepted or destroyed around 100 of the unmanned Ukrainian weapons including some aimed at Moscow. Comes hours after Russia and Ukraine each swapped 307 more prisoners of war as part of a negotiated exchange which should result in 1,000 citizens from both sides returning to their country.
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At least 13 people have been killed as Russian forces attacked Kyiv and other cities early this morning, officials said. Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged attacks as Russia said it faced a barrage of Ukrainian drones and intercepted or destroyed around 100 of the unmanned Ukrainian weapons including some aimed at Moscow.
The drone attacks have intensified between Russia and Ukraine this week. On Friday evening, Russia launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks the war has seen.
This comes hours after Russia and Ukraine each swapped 307 more prisoners of war as part of a negotiated exchange which should result in 1,000 citizens from both sides returning to their country.
Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the second prisoner exchange on Saturday, after Friday’s release saw each side exchange 390 civilians and personnel.
“Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said on his official Telegram channel.
Russia strikes Kyiv after first stage of major prisoner swap
Russia and Ukraine are in the middle of a major prisoner swap. The two sides have not yet revealed the identities of those exchanged. Both sides received 390 people in the first stage and are expected to exchange 1,000 each in total over the weekend. Russia has signalled it will send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement after the weekend — without saying what those terms would be. Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones overnight, adding that it will continue to do so until the end of the year. Russia is believed to have the larger share, with the number of its Kursk region estimated to be between 8,000 and 10,000. The U.S. has the largest share of the world’s uranium reserves, according to the U.N. It is estimated that the world has the highest level of uranium reserves in the world, at more than 1.2 billion pounds. The world’s largest uranium mine is located in Ukraine.
By Florent VERGNES, Daria ANDRIIEVSKA
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) May 24, 2025
A massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv Saturday wounded at least 15 people, just as Russia and Ukraine were in the middle of a major prisoner swap.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones overnight, adding that it downed six missiles and 245 drones.
Kyiv was “the main target of the enemy attack”, the air force said in a statement.
“With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
“Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire,” he said.
Kyiv city officials reported fires and fallen debris in several parts of the Ukrainian capital, after AFP journalists heard explosions overnight.
The police said 15 people were injured in Kyiv itself and two more in the surrounding region.
Officials said five civilians were killed by Russian strikes in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
The Russian military meanwhile said Ukraine had targeted it with 788 drones and missiles since Tuesday.
Dozens of drones targeting Moscow have been shot down over the past week.
The attack on Kyiv came hours after Russia and Ukraine completed the first stage of a prisoner exchange agreed at talks last week in Istanbul which, if completed, would be the biggest swap since the start of the conflict.
Both sides received 390 people in the first stage and are expected to exchange 1,000 each in total.
Russia has signalled it will send Ukraine its terms for a peace settlement after the swap, which is set to continue over the weekend — without saying what those terms would be.
– ‘First stage’ –
The two enemies have held regular prisoner swaps since Russia launched its 2022 offensive — but none have been on this scale.
An AFP reporter saw some of the formerly captive Ukrainian soldiers arrive at a hospital in the northern Chernigiv region, emaciated but smiling and waving to crowds waiting outside.
After they stepped off the bus, tearful relatives rushed to embrace the soldiers while others held pictures of their loved ones, hoping to find out if they had been seen in captivity.
Many of the soldiers were draped in bright yellow and blue Ukrainian flags.
“The first stage of the ‘1,000-for-1,000’ exchange agreement has been carried out,” Zelensky said.
Russia said it had received 270 Russian troops and 120 civilians, including some from parts of its Kursk region captured and held by Kyiv for months.
The two sides have not yet revealed the identities of those exchanged.
US President Donald Trump earlier congratulated the two countries for the swap.
“This could lead to something big???” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump’s efforts to broker a ceasefire in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II have so far been unsuccessful, despite his pledge to rapidly end the fighting.
One of the soldiers formerly held captive, 58-year-old Viktor Syvak, told AFP it was hard to put words to his emotional homecoming.
Captured in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, he had been held for 37 months and 12 days.
“I didn’t expect such a welcome. It’s impossible to describe. I can’t put it into words. It’s very joyful,” he said.
– Diplomatic push –
After more than three years of fighting, thousands of POWs are held in both countries.
Russia is believed to have the larger share, with the number of Ukrainian captives held by Moscow estimated to be between 8,000 and 10,000.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stepped up a gear in recent weeks, but the Kremlin has shown no sign it has walked back its maximalist demands for ending the fighting.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has defied European pressure for a full and unconditional truce in Ukraine, pressing on with its offensive, which has left tens of thousands dead.
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Trump: Major prisoner swap just completed
Trump: Major prisoner swap just completed between Russia and Ukraine. US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a “major” prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia. His announcement follows Moscow and Kyiv agreeing during talks in Istanbul this month to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Russia’s work on a memorandum concerning the Ukraine crisis is at an advanced stage, and a second round of talks with Kyiv is expected, Lavrov said. Kremlin said no decision had been taken yet on a location for the next round of peace talks with Ukraine to end more than three years of conflict. The Vatican has had strained relations with the Vatican for centuries. No pope has ever visited Russia, and Moscow has had frosty relations with Ukraine since the 1054 East-West Schism, which led to the breakup of the Soviet Union.
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a “major” prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia.
“A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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“Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???” he said, without providing further details.
His announcement follows Moscow and Kyiv agreeing during talks in Istanbul this month to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
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The warring countries have held many rounds of swaps since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In such an exchange this month, the two sides each released 205 captured soldiers.
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Separately, the Kremlin said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump discussed a bilateral prisoner swap with the United States.
The US president’s push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine has been rebuffed by Putin.
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Moscow’s work on a memorandum concerning the Ukraine crisis is at an advanced stage, and a second round of talks with Kyiv is expected, Lavrov said.
“Yes, we are all for talks. Yes, there will be a second round.
“They (the Ukrainian authorities) have confirmed it. This is a positive development in itself,” Lavrov said at a high-level conference on historical southern Russian lands.
He confirmed that preparations are ongoing.
“Work (on a memorandum) is underway.
“I don’t know about Ukraine, but our work has reached an advanced stage, and we will hand the memorandum over to the Ukrainians in any case,” he said.
Lavrov cast doubt on Friday on the Vatican as a potential place for peace talks with Ukraine.
Italy, the pope and the United States had voiced hope the city-state could host negotiations.
The Kremlin said no decision had been taken yet on a location for the next round of talks with Ukraine to end more than three years of conflict, after Moscow and Kyiv met for talks in Istanbul last week.
“It would be a bit inelegant for Orthodox countries to discuss, on Catholic ground, issues related to eliminating root causes (of the conflict),” Lavrov said, accusing Kyiv of “destroying” the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
He added: “For the Vatican itself it would not be very comfortable to, in these circumstances, host delegations from Orthodox countries.”
Moscow has had strained relations with the Vatican for centuries.
Italy has said Pope Leo XIV was ready to host the peace talks after US leader Donald Trump suggested the Vatican as a location.
The Kremlin said on Friday that the location of a venue “cannot be taken by one side”.
“We need the agreement of both sides,” it stressed.
“At the moment there is no decision or agreements on the next negotiation venue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“This decision will be taken when the time is ripe,” he added.
Russia’s role in Ukraine since its 2014 annexation of Crimea has led to Ukrainian believers turning away from Russia’s Moscow patriarchy.
Kyiv created its own Orthodox church, independent from Moscow, in 2018 and banned the Russian-backed branch of the Orthodox church after Russia’s full-scale 2022 offensive.
Russia’s Orthodox Church was created after the 1054 East-West Schism, and Moscow has since had frosty relations with the Vatican.
This continued during the anti-religion Soviet period. No pope has ever visited Russia.