(Ankara) – Ukraine and Russia have agreed to carry out an “all for all” exchange of prisoners of war who are heavily wounded or seriously ill, following the second round of negotiations held in Türkiye on 2 June. The agreement also includes a plan to swap all soldiers aged between 18 and 25, and the return of the remains of fallen troops in a “6,000 for 6,000” arrangement.
The announcement was made by the Ukrainian delegation at a final press conference. Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umierov stressed that the prisoner deal is a humanitarian necessity, especially for those most vulnerable and requiring urgent medical care.
Ukraine has also submitted a formal list to the Russian side containing several hundred names of Ukrainian children who were illegally taken from temporarily occupied areas. Ukraine has demanded the return of these children, calling their recovery “a fundamental priority.” Minister Umierov stated that if Russia is serious about peace, returning even half of the children would be seen as a genuine signal.
Russia, however, continued to deny any wrongdoing, claiming the children had been “rescued” rather than abducted. The Kremlin’s delegates also refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. Instead, they offered a limited two to three day pause in certain areas along the front, allegedly to collect the bodies of the dead and allow for burials.
As part of the talks, Ukraine also received a “memorandum” from the Russian side detailing its supposed conditions for ending the war. The Ukrainian side now has one week to review the proposal, with further talks expected afterward.
Russia’s delegation confirmed receipt of the list of 339 Ukrainian children but refused to recognise the abductions. They also confirmed that the prisoner exchange process could involve at least 1,000 individuals.
This latest development follows an earlier “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner exchange that took place across three days in May. During that operation, Ukraine successfully recovered 880 military personnel and 120 civilians from Russian captivity.
Despite the clear humanitarian focus of the talks, the Kremlin has continued its pattern of manipulative diplomacy, offering minor concessions while denying major crimes such as the forced deportation of children.
