Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of more prisoners on the second day of an extended prisoner swap set to be the largest in the three-year war.
Reuters reported US President Donald Trump has suggested the swap could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv.
There should be 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days. IThe fresh swap brought the total number of released prisoners to 606 .
Saturday’s swap was announced by Russia’s defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social media platform Telegram.
“Tomorrow we expect more,” Zelenskiy wrote. “Our goal is to return each and every one of us from Russian captivity.”
Reuters Television footage showed freed Ukrainian servicemen at a rendez-vous point inside Ukraine coming off buses draped in blue and yellow national flags as waiting family members chanted “Welcome!”
The first part of the exchange took place on Friday when Russia and Ukraine each released 390 prisoners, including 120 civilians, and said they would free more in the coming days.
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