Russia, Ukraine exchange 84 prisoners each
Chernigiv Region (Ukraine) (AFP) — Russia and Ukraine exchanged 84 prisoners each on Thursday, both sides said, the latest in a series of swaps that has seen hundreds of POWs released so far this year.
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This latest one came on the eve of a high-level summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.
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'I'm back in my homeland. Honestly, I never thought this would happen,' Mykyta Kaliberda, 29, a marine who was exchanged, told AFP.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that among the exchanged prisoners were 'both military personnel and civilians', some of whom had been 'held by the Russians since 2014, 2016, and 2017'.
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He said 'defenders of Mariupol' were also part of the swap, referring to a Ukrainian port city that fell to Russian forces in 2022 following a nearly three-month siege.
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'My eldest son was in captivity for three years, four months, and two days. Thank God, we awaited him,' said Tetiana Turkoman, a mother of a soldier who fought in Mariupol, adding that she had a 'feeling' her son will be released and decided to come.
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'I don't know how many times I've been to the exchanges, hoping that my husband will be there. Artur! Artur Ivanik! My God!' said Anastasia, calling out her husband Artur, who was due to come home Thursday.
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The Russian defence ministry said on Telegram that the United Arab Emirates had mediated the exchange and that the released Russian personnel were receiving 'psychological and medical assistance'.
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Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul between May and July.
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
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Toronto Sun
3 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
U.S., Russia agreed on Ukraine security pledges, Witkoff says
Published Aug 17, 2025 • 3 minute read Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, left, and US President Donald Trump during a joint news conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, US, on Friday, Aug. 15. Photo by Al Drago / Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg (Bloomberg) — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed at their summit in Alaska last week that the US would be able to offer Ukraine security guarantees, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'We got to an agreement that the US and other nations could effectively offer Article 5-like language to Ukraine,' Witkoff said on CNN's State of the Union, referring to the NATO provision that says if one ally is attacked, it is considered an attack on all member states. But Witkoff, who attended the leaders' meeting at a military base in Alaska on Friday, said their agreement stopped short of allowing Ukraine to achieve its longstanding goal of NATO membership. 'Putin says the red flag is NATO admission,' Witkoff said. Russia went into the summit demanding that Ukraine give up territory that Russia seized in its three-year war. Witkoff said Putin 'made some concessions with regards with all five of those regions,' and added, 'There needs to be a discussion of Donetsk' with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy when he meets Trump at the White House on Monday, suggesting there is room to negotiate. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. European leaders will be joining Zelenskiy at the White House meeting with Trump, in a show of support as Ukraine's leader faces growing US pressure to agree to a quick peace deal with Russia that involves giving up territory. Trump on Sunday insisted that he made 'BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA' in a post on Truth Social. While Trump had gone into Friday's summit with Putin seeking a ceasefire, he'd emerged saying he was going to focus on a final settlement. Witkoff said the switch was made because Putin and Trump made 'so much progress' that there was no need for a ceasefire period in which the details would be worked out. 'The thesis of a ceasefire is that you'd be discussing all of these issues that we already resolved' in Alaska, Witkoff said on CNN, noting that they couldn't finalize any discussion of land swaps because Zelenskiy needed to be directly involved. Trump didn't invite Zelenskiy to the meeting in Alaska. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday the US hasn't ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine as part of the goal of brokering a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, while arguing that additional sanctions would be unlikely to force Putin to accept a deal. Rubio also said that the US remains committed to crafting a deal that includes both 'what the border lines are going to look like' and Russia accepting that Ukraine 'is a sovereign country.' 'They have a right, like every sovereign country does in the world, to have, to enter into security alliances with other countries to prevent an invasion in the future, to prevent threats to their national security,' Rubio said on CBS's Face the Nation. 'That's not an unreasonable request.' Rubio said no US sanctions on Russia have been relaxed and the US may eventually end up imposing tougher penalties if talks stall. 'And so those options remain to the president,' he said. 'The minute he takes those steps, all talks stop.' Engaging with Russia is necessary to end the war, 'as distasteful people may find it,' Rubio said. Asked whether a ceasefire is off the table, Rubio said, 'No, it's not off the table.' At the same time, he added, 'Let's be frank, this is not our war.' 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