**Ukraine and Russia Work to Resume Prisoner Exchanges Amid Ongoing Conflict**
Ukraine is currently negotiating with Russia to resume prisoner exchanges that could result in the release of 1,200 Ukrainian prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday.
“We are working to ensure another start to negotiations, so that, after all, there is a prospect to end this war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We are also counting on the resumption of POW exchanges—many meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.”
**Mediation by Turkey and UAE**
Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, stated on Saturday that he held consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates regarding the resumption of exchanges. According to Umerov, the involved parties agreed to activate prisoner exchange agreements previously brokered in Istanbul, which could see the release of 1,200 Ukrainians. Moscow has not yet commented on these developments.
The Istanbul agreements refer to prisoner-exchange protocols established with Turkish mediation in 2022, setting rules for large, coordinated swaps. Since then, Russia and Ukraine have traded thousands of prisoners, though exchanges have been sporadic.
Umerov said technical consultations would be held soon to finalize procedural and organizational details. He expressed hope that returning Ukrainians could “celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home, at the family table and next to their relatives.”
**Finnish President Warns of No Immediate Ceasefire**
The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, warned on Sunday that a ceasefire in Ukraine is unlikely before spring, and he urged European allies to maintain their support despite a corruption scandal that has engulfed Kyiv.
Stubb told the Associated Press that Europe would require “sisu”—a Finnish word meaning endurance, resilience, and grit—to get through the winter months as Russia continues its hybrid attacks and information war across the continent.
“I’m not very optimistic about achieving a ceasefire or the beginning of peace negotiations, at least this year,” Stubb said, adding it would be positive “to get something going” by March. As the leader of a country sharing an 830-mile border with Russia, Stubb is acutely aware of what is at stake.
Stubb highlighted his good relationship with U.S. President Trump, noting the two have played golf together and speak regularly, which he leverages to advocate for Ukraine. To bring about peace, Stubb said President Trump and European leaders must maximize pressure on Russia and on President Vladimir Putin to change his strategic thinking.
Putin “basically wants to deny the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” aims that have not changed since the war began nearly four years ago, Stubb stated.
**Continued Russian Strikes Against Ukraine**
Russian drone strikes overnight into Sunday caused damage to energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service. A solar power plant was among the damaged sites.
Ukraine is desperately trying to fend off relentless Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country as winter approaches. Combined missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with intense fighting as Ukraine resists a Russian push to capture the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.
Russia fired a total of 176 drones and one missile overnight, Ukraine’s air force reported Sunday. Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down or neutralize 139 drones.
In response, Ukrainian forces struck a major oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, along with a warehouse storing drones for the elite Rubicon drone unit in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region, Ukraine’s general staff said. Russian officials did not immediately confirm these attacks.
Months of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries have aimed to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue necessary to pursue the war. Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry stated on Sunday that their forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight.
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**Stay updated with the latest on Ukraine’s conflict and ongoing diplomatic efforts.**
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