Ukraine's Zelensky vows to press on with prisoner exchanges with Russia
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a press briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 19. PHOTO: REUTERS
Ukraine's Zelensky vows to press on with prisoner exchanges with Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on June 8 to press on with prisoner exchanges with Russia and said any failure by Moscow to uphold humanitarian accords cast doubt over US and other efforts to end the more than three-year-old conflict.
Mr Zelensky also warned Ukrainians to be attentive to air raid warnings in the aftermath of heavy Russian air attacks.
The president was speaking a day after Russian officials accused Ukraine of postponing the latest prisoner swap indefinitely. A Ukrainian official had already rejected the Russian allegation.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had not yet received the full list of prisoners to be released under agreements clinched in talks in Turkey.
'The Russian side is therefore, like always, even in these matters, is trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game,' Mr Zelensky said.
"The important thing is to get a result, to ensure that people are brought home. We believe that the exchanges will continue and will do everything for this.
"If the Russians do not stand by agreements even in humanitarian matters, it casts great doubt on all international efforts — including those by the United States in terms of talks and diplomacy."
US President Donald Trump has put pressure on both Ukraine and Russia to move towards a resolution on the war. Ukraine has said it backs a US call for a 30-day ceasefire, while Russia says certain conditions must first be met.
In concluding his address, Mr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to be especially attentive to air raid warnings.
"In the coming days we must pay attention to air raid warnings," he said. "Look after yourselves, look after Ukraine." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk wants Trump to ‘live in his house' to witness war
Oleksandr Usyk speaking at a press conference in London, on April 29. PHOTO: REUTERS Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk wants Trump to 'live in his house' to witness war LONDON - World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has offered Donald Trump the chance to live in his house in a bid to help the US president understand the war in Ukraine. Mr Trump had vowed to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine 'in 24 hours' if he was elected president. But there has been no end to Russia's invasion since Mr Trump returned to the White House in 2024. Ukrainian boxer Usyk, who has been a tireless campaigner for peace in his homeland, believes Mr Trump needs to have a clearer view of the dire situation if he is to find a solution to the crisis. The 38-year-old has urged the president to join him at his house in Ukraine to see for himself the damage done by the war. 'I advise American President Donald Trump to come to Ukraine and live in my house for one week,' Usyk told BBC Sport on June 8. 'Only one week. I will give him my house. Live please in Ukraine and watch what is going on every night. 'Every night there are bombs and flights above my house. Bombs, rocket. Every night. It's enough.' Mr Trump clashed with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky during a contentious summit meeting in the Oval Office in February. Mr Trump warned Mr Zelensky to show more gratitude for America's help in peace talks before telling him to leave the White House. Asked if Mr Trump could be convinced to change his opinion, Usyk said: 'I don't know. Maybe he'll understand, maybe he won't.' Usyk, who has won all 23 of his professional bouts, is currently in a training camp to prepare for a rematch with IBF champion Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley. But the WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion said the war is never far from his mind. 'I worry about what happens in my country. It's very bad because Ukrainian people have died,' he said. 'It's not just military people, children, women, grandmothers and grandfathers, too.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 9, 2025
Members of the National Guard in front of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, on June 8. PHOTO: EPA-EFE While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 9, 2025 National Guard deployed in Los Angeles amid protests against immigration raids California National Guard arrived in Los Angeles on June 8, deployed by President Donald Trump after two days of protests by hundreds of demonstrators against immigration raids carried out as part of Mr Trump's strict policy. About a dozen National Guard members were seen in video footage on June 8 morning lining up at a federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where detainees from immigration raids on June 6 were taken, sparking protests that continued on June 7. The complex is near Los Angeles City Hall, where another protest against the immigration raids is scheduled for June 8 afternoon. US Northern Command confirmed National Guard troops had started deploying and that some were already on the ground. National Guard troops were also seen in Paramount in south-east Los Angeles near the Home Depot, the site of altercations between protestors and police on June 7. READ MORE HERE Israel recovers body of Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar in tunnel beneath Gaza hospital The Israeli army said on June 8 it had retrieved the body of Hamas' military chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation in May. Another senior Hamas leader, Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, was also found dead at the scene along with a number of other militants, who are still being identified, said IDF spokesperson, Brigadier-General Effie Defrin. Israeli forces gave a small group of foreign reporters a tour of the tunnel that had been uncovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which Defrin said was a major command and control compound for Hamas. READ MORE HERE Russia advances to east-central Ukrainian region amid row over dead soldiers Russia said on June 8 its forces had advanced to the edge of the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk amid a public row between Moscow and Kyiv over peace negotiations and the return of thousands of bodies of soldiers who fell in the war. Despite talk of peace, the war is stepping up with Russian forces grabbing more territory in Ukraine and Kyiv unfurling high-profile drone and sabotage attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet and, according to Moscow, on railways. Russia, which controls a little under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, has taken more than 190 sq km of the Sumy region of north-eastern Ukraine in less than a month, according to pro-Ukrainian open source maps. READ MORE HERE Colombia presidential candidate Miguel Uribe fighting for life after assassination attempt Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay remains in a critical condition after an assassination attempt on June 7 that recalled the political violence that roiled the nation in the 1980s and 1990s. The 39-year-old opposition senator is out of a 'neurosurgical' operation and a procedure on his left thigh, but his condition remains extremely serious, according to a statement from La Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, where he is being treated. It declined to give a prognosis. Mr Uribe's wife had said he was 'fighting for his life' following the attack, which happened while he was campaigning in a Bogota neighbourhood on June 7. In a recording on June 8, she said 'he came out well from the surgery,' according to AFP. He was shot twice in the head and once in the leg. READ MORE HERE Prince of Clay arrives as Alcaraz battles from the brink to retain French Open Carlos Alcaraz battled from the brink to outlast top seed Jannik Sinner 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) in a French Open final for the ages on June 8 to retain his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in Roland Garros' post-Rafa Nadal era. In a scintillating showdown between the torch-bearers of a new generation, the 22-year-old Alcaraz saved three match points in the fourth set to continue his dominance over Sinner with his fifth straight victory and end the Italian's 20-match winning run at the majors. Alcaraz showed his steely determination to win the epic in five hours and 29 minutes - the longest final at Roland Garros - and soaked up the roaring ovation from a thoroughly entertained Parisian crowd long used to Nadal's reign during his run of 14 titles. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
The day the music died at the Shangri-La
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth seen on a monitor delivering an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31. PHOTO: AFP The mood music seemed incongruous. On stage, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was thumping his chest, declaring how the United States was rebuilding its military, restoring a warrior ethos and re-establishing deterrence. Warning darkly of a gathering threat to the region, he said: 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
