Trump says 'major' Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap 'just completed'
US President Donald Trump attends a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission event, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, on May 22, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump on Friday (May 23) announced a "major" prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia.
"A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???" he said, without providing further details.
His announcement follows Moscow and Kyiv agreeing during talks in Istanbul this month to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.
The warring countries have held many rounds of swaps since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In such an exchange this month, the two sides each released 205 captured soldiers.
Separately, the Kremlin said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump discussed a bilateral prisoner swap with the United States.
The US president's push for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine has been rebuffed by Putin.
