Istanbul, 2 June 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine and Russia have agreed to another prisoner exchange during negotiations in Istanbul.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told journalists that the first priority was to exchange seriously injured and seriously ill prisoners of war. The second category would be young soldiers between the ages of 18 and 25. Agreement, he said, had been reached on specific categories "and not on numbers".

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, confirmed the agreement on the exchange of prisoners in the categories mentioned. He said the aim is to exchange at least 1,000 prisoners of war in each group. In addition, according to both sides, an agreement was also reached on the exchange of 6,000 bodies of soldiers killed in action.

Umerov said Kiev had proposed the end of June to the Russians as the next date for follow-up talks.

Ukraine also reiterated its call for a meeting at the highest level. "All key issues can only be resolved at the top leadership level," Umerov said, adding that US President Donald Trump's participation was also possible.

The proposals for the desired ceasefire had been handed over, he said. The Russian document was currently being evaluated, said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi.

Ukraine has been fighting a Russian invasion with Western support for over three years.

Photo: dpa