Russia and Ukraine have each announced the release of 205 prisoners of war in a new exchange carried out with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, one week after US President Donald Trump said a new agreement on prisoner swaps had been reached between the two sides. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that 205 Ukrainian soldiers had returned home, adding that most of them had been held in captivity since 2022. Russia’s Defence Ministry also confirmed that 205 Russian servicemen had been returned from territories under Ukrainian control. The ministry said the released personnel are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical assistance. The Russian Defence Ministry said the exchange was conducted with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, which has previously played a role in several prisoner swaps between Moscow and Kyiv. The latest exchange comes after a similar swap in April involving 193 prisoners from each side. Donald Trump had earlier spoken of a three-day ceasefire and a broader plan to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side, although the wider agreement has yet to be implemented.
