Zelensky, visit to the Eastern Front. The message sent to the military about the crucial stake of the region where Russia has concentrated its forces
Volodymyr Zelenskiy awarded troops defending positions near Drujkivka and Kosteantînivka, towns in the Donetsk region where Russia is preparing for a spring offensive, according to the Ukrainian president, Reuters wrote.
The Ukrainian leader told the military there that the region “is important not only from the point of view of state defense on the battlefield, but also very important from the geopolitical point of view.”
“The stronger we are in the eastern direction, the stronger we are in the discussion process,” Zelenskiy added, according to the video posted on his Telegram channel.
Under pressure from the US Trump administration, Ukraine and Russia have held several rounds of talks in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to end the war, which on February 24 entered its fifth year.
Another exchange of prisoners
One of the few concrete results of the negotiations so far has been agreements on prisoner-of-war exchanges.
“This week, Ukraine and Russia held another prisoner exchange, with 1,000 people returned following agreements reached during the recent trilateral talks in Geneva with the United States,” US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post on X.
It is the second exchange of prisoners this year, and 500 soldiers from both camps were included in it.
Zelensky said two Ukrainian civilians also returned home on Friday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the exchange was brokered by the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Zelensky posted a video of dozens of men disembarking from large white buses, smiling, waving and thanking the Ukrainian border guards who greeted them.
“I'm home, my dear mother. That's it, I'm home. We'll see each other again soon. I love you, mother,” said a soldier, speaking on a mobile phone.
The previous exchange of prisoners of war took place in February after talks in Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine had hoped for a new round of peace talks to be held in early March, but that was postponed due to the war that broke out in the Middle East, where the United States and Israel attacked Iran and the Islamic Republic retaliated by attacking Israel and American targets in countries in the region.
“Discussions remain ongoing, with further progress anticipated in the coming weeks,” Witkoff said, however.
