The Kremlin announced Monday that Russia remains willing to honour a prisoner of war (POW) exchange and repatriation agreement with Ukraine, despite accusing Kyiv of failing to uphold its commitments.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed Ukraine had offered a hundred different excuses for postponing the process, which was agreed to during peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. The deal includes a new POW swap of at least 1,200 individuals, focusing on the youngest and most seriously wounded, and the return of thousands of fallen soldiers to both sides.
“The Russian side remains ready to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul,” Peskov said, expressing doubt over the credibility of Ukraine’s reasons for delay.
On Saturday, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said Russia arrived at the designated exchange site with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers but was met with no Ukrainian officials. He added that a preliminary list of 640 POWs had already been submitted to Kyiv.
Ukrainian authorities refuted the claims, saying no complete list of Russian POWs had been received. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaffirmed his government’s commitment to prisoner exchanges but accused Moscow of using the issue for political manipulation.
“The return of our heroes is not a bargaining chip,” Zelenskiy said, calling on Russia to act in good faith.