On the eve of negotiations in Saudi Arabia between Ukrainian and U.S. officials for a possible peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the release of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children to their country, which would help build trust in Russia, IPN reports, with reference to Agerpres.

"It could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts," Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Platform X.

The Ukrainian government accused Moscow of kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children and transporting them to Russia since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022. For its part, referring to these actions, Moscow uses the term ‘evacuation’.

The International Criminal Court two years ago issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with accusations of kidnapping of Ukrainian children.



The communication on the exchange of prisoners is practically the only channel of dialogue that is still functional between Ukraine and Russia. Thousands of prisoners have already been exchanged by the warring parties. It is currently unclear how many prisoners are left on each side.

Photo source: Reuters. Telegram/The official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.