US President's Special Representative Keith Kellogg commented on the start of the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, which took place on May 23. According to Donald Trump's team, this is currently the "most positive result" of the negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Istanbul.
Points of attention
- The prisoner exchange marks a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Russia, showcasing a tangible result of the talks after more than three years.
- The successful prisoner swap underscores the potential for further cooperation and peaceful resolution of conflicts between the two nations, with hopes for continued progress in future negotiations.
The White House appreciated the prisoner exchange
The most positive outcome of the technical talks between Ukraine and Russia that took place last week in Istanbul: the planned return of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side.
Keith Kellogg
US President's Special Representative for Ukraine
In addition, Kellogg publicly expressed gratitude to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov for his significant contribution to achieving this.
"We need a ceasefire — the killings must stop," Trump's envoy concluded.
As mentioned earlier, on May 23, the US President officially confirmed that a large-scale prisoner exchange had been finalized between Kyiv and Moscow.
A few hours later, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 390 people had returned to Ukraine during the first day of exchanges.
What is important to understand is that this agreement was almost the only real result of the negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in Istanbul, which took place on May 16 for the first time in more than three years.
