During a press briefing in Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the exchange of military and civilian prisoners should be an essential part of the negotiation process.

This announcement was made by Zelensky at the briefing.

“The First Lady and the U.S. team recognize the importance of addressing the painful and complex issue of returning Ukrainian children,” he said. “I discussed this with the U.S. president, who agrees that it is a challenging system but is willing to assist me in negotiating an exchange of all for all. This includes not only military personnel but also civilians such as journalists and political prisoners. We agreed to work on this,” Zelensky noted.

It is worth mentioning that Trump previously stated that a potential prisoner exchange could occur following a trilateral meeting between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia. He indicated that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine, but for now, partners need to discuss “who will do what essentially.”