(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that he hopes large-scale prisoner exchanges with Russia can be resumed by the end of the year, highlighting Türkiye’s role in mediating the process and expressing confidence in the “strength of Turkish diplomacy,” according to reports.

Speaking at a news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following their talks in Ankara, Zelenskyy described the meeting as “very productive and substantive” and emphasized the high level of trust between the two countries and their peoples. He thanked Türkiye for maintaining a principled stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and for clearly supporting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The leaders also discussed cooperation, including joint production projects, with teams from both countries tasked to implement agreements reached during the talks. Zelenskyy said efforts are underway to restore prisoner swaps with Russia, expressing hope that a significant number of Ukrainian POWs could return “by the end of the year.”

“Türkiye is helping us greatly in this effort, and we want to personally thank you, Mr. President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan),” Zelenskyy said, noting that 2,500 Ukrainian prisoners have already been returned or are in the process of being returned through Turkish-mediated channels. “We need to accelerate these processes, and we need to speed up these diplomatic efforts.”

He recalled that Moscow and Kyiv held three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul—on May 16, June 2, and July 23—leading to major prisoner swaps and draft memoranda outlining positions for a potential future peace agreement to end the more than three-and-a-half-year war, which began in February 2022.

Zelenskyy added that he and Erdogan discussed “the situation in diplomacy,” noting that many processes are intensifying and should be channeled toward “peace, a dignified peace and guaranteed security.” Stressing that “there is no alternative to peace,” he said he shares Türkiye’s view that security and peace must be guaranteed.

“We will continue to closely coordinate and work with all our partners. I am grateful for Türkiye’s assistance and, once again, I thank President Erdogan. We count on the strength of Turkish diplomacy and on its clarity in Moscow,” Zelenskyy said. He also emphasized the strategic importance of the Black Sea, noting that Ukraine’s security can only be ensured together with Türkiye.

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