Zelenskyy: Russia using prisoner exchanges to delay sanctions, weaken US-Ukraine ties

For Russia, it is important to sever America’s support for Ukraine and stop the aid. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reveals the Kremlin’s scheme, which cleverly uses prisoner exchanges as a tool to delay the negotiation process with Ukraine, Suspilne reports.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia aims to distract the US and other partners by showing diplomatic gestures, allowing it to postpone the introduction of new sanctions.

“If you look at the exchanges, which were already happening without agreements but were not so massive, we understand that, on a global scale, it was needed by the ‘Russians.’ For the ‘Russians,’ it was important to cut America off from Ukraine, to stop the aid,” explains the president.

He emphasizes that for Russia, it is important to hold several meetings with the Ukrainian side, preferably without US participation, to show Washington a “diplomatic process.”

“How can you end a meeting positively? With exchanges. For that, a corresponding number of exchanges is needed,” Zelenskyy adds. 

The Ukrainian president also warns that Moscow plans to “drag out the Istanbul talks — to delay sanctions and so on.” Ukraine faces a difficult choice: “to continue like this or to take another path.”

Earlier, Zelenskyy said Russia continues to manufacture its Oreshnik, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, involving dozens of companies, most of which remain unsanctioned. He highlighted this as a glaring loophole in the international pressure on Russia’s military-industrial complex.

This missile can be intercepted only with advanced systems such as THAAD or Arrow 3. 

Zelenskyy: Sanction loopholes allow Russia to continue producing its “Oreshnik” intercontinental ballistic missiles with Western tech