Ukraine, Russia agree largest prisoner exchange of the war
Released Ukrainian servicewomen arrive home during the prisoner exchange of May 2025. (File photo)
DUBLIN: Ukraine and Russia have agreed to carry out the largest prisoner exchange since the war began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday night after meeting US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Dublin. “It will be the biggest exchange of war prisoners,” he told reporters. “Our soldiers will come home. This is a real result. This is very important.”
No final number or date yet
Zelenskyy did not say how many prisoners the exchange would cover. He had earlier said negotiators were discussing a 1,000-for-1,000 or 1,500-for-1,500 swap. Russia’s TASS news agency reported the exchange was expected within two to three weeks, while presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the final figures were still being agreed.
From Abu Dhabi to Dublin
The agreement followed two days of US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November — the first direct contact between Ukraine, Russia and the United States since February. Witkoff and Kushner then flew to Moscow, where they met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, before travelling on to Dublin to brief Zelenskyy at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. Kushner called it the largest release of prisoners so far.
Europe to join the next round
Zelenskyy said European representatives would sit at the negotiating table as part of the team at the next round of talks, rather than as separate observers. The next meeting could take place in the United Arab Emirates or Switzerland. But Russia refused to discuss halting strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid or de-escalation in the Black Sea, he said.
The May 2025 swap was the largest so far
The biggest exchange to date took place in May 2025, when 1,000 prisoners were swapped for 1,000 over three days, 23–25 May. The most recent exchange was on 23 October, when 270 Ukrainians returned home, including 261 service personnel and nine civilians.
