Ukraine, Russia free 200 POWs each in latest swap amid stalled peace talks
Al Jazeera
Exchange comes amid a deadlock in US-brokered negotiations to end the four-year war between the two countries.
Ukraine and Russia have freed 200 prisoners of war (POWs) each, officials from the two countries said, as efforts to reach a deal to end their four-year conflict appear to have stalled.
Thursday’s release is part of an exchange agreed during talks in Geneva last month that will see a total of 500 POWs freed by each side, Ukrainian and Russian officials said, with the remaining 300 expected to be released on Friday.
“Today, 200 Ukrainian families received the most-awaited message – their loved ones are coming home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post.
“And this is always good news for all of us, for the entire country: the return of our people to their homeland,” added Zelenskyy, thanking the United States “for its support in making this exchange possible”.
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