Russia, Ukraine agree to largest POW swap since start of war

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to the largest prisoner of war swap since the start of the war, The Associated Press reported Friday.

The two warring nations agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the first direct peace talks since the war began in 2022 in Turkey, Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said, according to the AP. Additionally, delegations for each side have agreed to draft detailed ceasefire proposals for future negotiations.

However, the talks reportedly only lasted two hours after the Ukrainian representatives accused Russia of making “unacceptable demands” to withdraw Ukrainian forces from key areas of the front, anonymous sources told the AP.

Good meeting, together with @AndriyYermak and @rustem_umerov, with U.S. Secretary of State @SecRubio and @SPE_Kellogg @generalkellogg, Türkiye’s Foreign Minister @HakanFidan, National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalin.

Coordinated positions on this important… pic.twitter.com/11l5bifMtk

— Andrii Sybiha (@andrii_sybiha) May 16, 2025

The war has raged for three years, taking hundreds of thousands lives on both sides while the front lines have remained largely static since the initial Russian invasion in 2022. President Donald Trump has made it a priority of his second term’s foreign policy to pursue peace in the region.

Just a few weeks before in April, the U.S. and Ukraine reached a landmark minerals deal after months of negotiations. The deal gives the U.S. a stake in mining operations in the nation while reinvesting some of the profits in reconstruction.

Moreover, Trump has signaled that he may be running out of patience for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who decided to forgo the Turkey peace meeting. Russia continues to attack Ukraine in repeated strikes against infrastructure and sometimes civilian targets, which Trump has publicly criticized.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the American delegation at the meetings, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan encouraging both sides to “to take advantage of this opportunity,” according to the AP.

Met with the @USEmbTurkiye, @USNATO, and Marine Security Guard teams. Thanked them for promoting @POTUS’s America First foreign policy and advancing our priorities. pic.twitter.com/ly9QVY6v0P

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 16, 2025

The Ukrainian Embassy and the Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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