President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that preparations for a new stage of prisoner exchange were underway throughout the day on Wednesday.
He made this statement during his evening address, Ukrinform reports.
“All day today, preparations continued for the new stage of the exchange. We are waiting for our people back home. It is very important that despite all difficulties, Ukrainians are coming back. And for every name, we conduct checks and gather all information,” Zelensky said.
He noted that there have already been many cases when individuals listed as missing were later found to be in captivity, and the Ukrainian government carefully verifies such information.
The President also stated that meetings between the Ukrainian team and the Turkish side are already underway in Türkiye.
“The first was with the Turkish side in Ankara on key security issues so important for both our countries. I’m receiving hourly reports. We expect that today’s further opportunity for meetings with the Russian side in Istanbul – the opportunity to take the right steps – will not be wasted,” Zelensky added.
According to him, the Ukrainian authorities remain committed to the release of Ukrainian captives, the return of Ukrainian children, and achieving a real ceasefire.
“The priority is preparation for a leaders’ meeting, and our delegation has the necessary authority for this – directives for discussing the key issues,” he emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, ahead of the scheduled meeting in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation, led by National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Rustem Umerov, arrived in Ankara and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Source: Zelensky announces preparations for new prisoner exchange phase
