Trump says Russia-Ukrainian large prisoner exchange “may cause some big things”

President Trump said Friday Russia and Ukraine Ukrainian and Russian officials said the swap was in progress but not yet completed, but Ukrainian and Russian officials conducted a large number of prisoners exchanges from their three years. Details have not been confirmed, but swaps appear to be one of the few signs of international efforts to stop any progress in the fight.

“The main prisoners between Russia and Ukraine have just been completed,” Trump said on his truth social platform. This will “be effective soon,” he said, although it is not clear what this means.

A senior Ukrainian official familiar with the details of the swap told the Associated Press that the exchange was held on Friday morning but it was not completed. He spoke on anonymity because he had no right to speak publicly.

The Russian Ministry of Defense later confirmed that the swap was in progress, saying the two countries had exchanged 270 prisoners of war and 120 civilians, a process that will continue in the coming days.

Russian and Ukrainian media have agreed to swaps in recent days that around 1,000 prisoners have been handed over to swaps in every aspect, but the overall figures have not been confirmed by any government on Friday.

Senior Russian MP and representative of the Military Operations Coordination Team Shamsail Saraliev told the country’s RBC News Agency on Thursday had difficulty communicating with Ukraine, which involved as many as 2,000 prisoners in just one day, saying the process could take several days.

“Will this lead to big things?” Mr. Trump said in a post on Friday, apparently referring to international diplomatic efforts to stop the fight. White House and National Security Council officials did not immediately respond to requests for more details.

Speaking to the Kremlin on Friday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “There is no decision or agreement yet at the next venue for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.”

Last week The first direct Russia – Ukraine peace negotiations Since the invasion of its neighbors in Moscow in 2022. The meeting in Türkiye lasted only two hours, with no breakthrough in international diplomatic efforts to stop the fight.

Nevertheless, even if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to accept the challenge of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even when both sides even sit face to face on May 15, this is a major development in itself.

A few days later, Mr. Trump made a two-hour call with Putin, which he described as a “excellent” tone and spirit. He said Russia and Ukraine would “start negotiations immediately with the ceasefire” and then he made a separate call with Zelenskyy.

Mr. Trump repeatedly said before taking office that he could end the Russian-Ukrainian war within 24 hours.