Overview
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is working to restart prisoner exchanges that could bring home 1,200 Ukrainians.
- Security chief Rustem Umerov announced Kyiv and Moscow agreed in principle to activate the Istanbul exchange protocols after talks mediated by Turkey and the UAE.
- Umerov said procedural and logistical details will be set in upcoming technical meetings, expressing hope returnees can be home for New Year and Christmas.
- Moscow had offered no public comment at the time of reporting, leaving timelines and operational steps to be confirmed.
- The Istanbul agreements, negotiated in 2022 with Turkish mediation, provide the rules for large, coordinated swaps that have been used intermittently since.