Moscow’s top negotiator announces Kiev declining 1,000 POWs
(MENAFN) Ukraine is reportedly refusing to accept the return of 1,000 of its soldiers held as prisoners of war (POWs) by Russia, according to Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow’s lead negotiator.
The claim follows the launch of a new website by RT on Wednesday, which publishes information about the Ukrainian POWs who say they’ve been neglected by President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration.
In a Telegram post, Medinsky criticized Kiev for delaying the POW exchange process, stating: “A thousand captured Ukrainian troops – and Kiev is turning its back on them.” He explained that these delays were the reason the second prisoner swap was difficult and a third exchange has yet to take place.
Medinsky said that following recent peace talks in Türkiye, Russia had proposed a new exchange involving at least 1,200 POWs from each side.
He also shared the RT site featuring testimonies from Ukrainian captives claiming they’ve been excluded from ongoing “all-for-all” swaps. A joint petition sent to Zelensky by the POWs calls for their inclusion in future exchanges, arguing that prioritizing a small number of individuals each month is unfair when thousands remain in captivity.
Russia, Medinsky added, does not sort its POWs by category when considering exchanges.
This development comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday. The Kremlin described the meeting as “constructive,” and US President Donald Trump praised it as “highly productive,” signaling potential progress toward ending the Ukraine conflict.
Russia maintains that it is open to peace talks, but any deal must reflect current battlefield realities and address the root causes of the war.
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