Russia and Ukraine exchanged 270 prisoners of war each on Friday (October 23), Russia’s Defence Ministry said, as Moscow signalled plans to resume trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine and announced the first shipment of Russian diesel to the US under a new import agreement.
The Russian Defence Ministry released a video showing servicemen in military fatigues boarding a bus. It said the freed Russian personnel were in Belarus and would be transported to Russia after receiving psychological and medical assistance.
Thousands of prisoners have been exchanged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, making prisoner swaps one of the few areas where Moscow and Kyiv have maintained intermittent contact despite the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that future trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine would focus on ensuring the long-term security of both countries rather than securing a short-term ceasefire. He said Moscow remained open to resolving the conflict through negotiations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had not yet named Russia’s representative for the renewed talks and that Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates could host the next round of discussions. He declined to provide details of Putin’s meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday, saying public discussion of proposals and “megaphone diplomacy” could harm negotiations.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin had conveyed Russia’s readiness to Witkoff to resume trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine in mid-November, focusing on a post-war security system for Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed proposals for different ceasefire formats with Witkoff in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday.
In a separate development, Russia’s first tanker carrying diesel to the United States under a new import agreement has set sail, the Kremlin said on Friday, two weeks after US President Donald Trump said he had struck a deal with Putin.
“The first oil tanker has sailed off to customers, and regular supplies will continue,” Peskov said, without providing further details.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said earlier this week that the initial shipment would amount to 40,000 tonnes of diesel, according to Interfax. Marine intelligence firm Kpler said the vessel was signalling that it was headed to New York, with an expected arrival date of November 7. It would be the first delivery of Russian diesel to the United States since July 2023.
The shipment amounts to around 300,000 barrels, equivalent to about 7% of the roughly four million barrels of diesel consumed by the US economy each day. Trump has said the agreement could lead to millions more tonnes of Russian diesel reaching the United States in the coming months. However, energy policy experts said the imports were unlikely to significantly reduce high fuel prices.
The decision marks a sharp reversal in US sanctions policy towards Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. It has raised concern in Kyiv, which has urged other countries to tighten sanctions on Moscow and restrict revenue supporting its war effort.
Zelenskyy described Trump’s decision as “a weak decision by strong partners”.
The agreement comes weeks after Trump signed a sweeping sanctions package directing him to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest importers of Russian oil or natural gas. He later put the measures on hold.
Russia’s diesel production has faced pressure from repeated Ukrainian long-range drone attacks on oil refineries, which contributed to fuel shortages that have since eased. Trump asked Kyiv last month to halt the attacks.
The diesel agreement is the latest development in the often volatile relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy, which has deteriorated further in recent weeks.
(With agency inputs from Reuters and AP via PTI)