.jpeg)
Dhaka, June 3, 2025 – Despite the protracted war, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange prisoners and hand over the bodies of killed soldiers for humanitarian reasons. Although there was no progress on the ceasefire in the second round of peace talks held in Istanbul, Turkey on Monday (June 2), both sides reached an important agreement on these two issues.
Delegations from both countries were present at the talks, which were mediated by Turkey. Russian Chief Negotiator Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umerov led their respective countries. After the talks, both sides said that they had agreed to exchange seriously ill and wounded prisoners of war, as well as young soldiers aged 18 to 25, on an ‘all-for-all’ basis.
Details of the prisoner exchange and body transfer agreement:
A comprehensive prisoner exchange: Both sides have agreed to release at least 1,000 prisoners of war each. This is going to be the largest prisoner exchange agreement since the start of the war. Priority will be given to seriously ill, wounded and young soldiers.
Repatriation of bodies: Both Russia and Ukraine have agreed to repatriate the bodies of their fallen soldiers. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that initially both countries have agreed to repatriate 6,000 bodies each, for a total of 12,000. This will bring some relief to war-torn families.
Formation of medical commission: Both sides have agreed to form a permanent medical commission. This commission will regularly compile a list of seriously wounded soldiers and facilitate the process of their exchange.
Repatriation of children: Ukraine has provided Russia with a list of 339 children who have been separated from their parents due to the ongoing conflict. Russia has assured to thoroughly investigate each of these cases. Russia has recently repatriated 101 children, while 22 children have been repatriated from the Ukrainian side.
Ceasefire proposals and disagreements:
Despite an agreement on prisoner exchanges and the transfer of bodies, no final decision on a ceasefire has been reached. Russia has proposed a 2-3 day local ceasefire, mainly to recover the bodies of the dead. However, Ukraine has rejected this limited proposal and reiterated its demand for an "unconditional ceasefire".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that only 15% of the 6,000 bodies handed over by Russia have been identified and that Ukraine must ensure that the bodies returned by Russia are indeed those of Ukrainian soldiers.
Although the Istanbul talks have not made any major progress on a permanent peace agreement, the prisoner exchange and transfer of bodies agreement is seen as a positive humanitarian step. The move opens the way for minimal humanitarian coordination between the two countries despite the ongoing conflict.
