The Russian Defense Ministry has announced the mutual repatriation of 146 soldiers from each side, facilitated by humanitarian mediation from the United Arab Emirates. According to a report by Ria Novosti, the ministry also stated that eight residents of the Kursk region, allegedly “illegally detained by the Kyiv regime,” have been returned.
The news comes as Ukraine marked its Independence Day. In a message shared by President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media, former U.S. President Donald Trump stated, “The time has come to end a senseless slaughter. The United States supports a negotiated agreement that leads to lasting peace, stops the bloodshed, and safeguards the sovereignty and dignity of Ukraine.”
For his part, President Zelensky declared that a “united Ukraine will never again be forced into the shame that the Russians call a compromise. We need a just peace.” In a video message recorded in central Kyiv, he asserted Ukraine’s sovereignty, stating, “What our future will be, only we can decide. And the world knows it. The world respects it. Respects Ukraine. Perceives Ukraine as its equal.”
On security matters, Zelensky emphasized the importance of a foreign troop presence in Ukraine after the war with Russia concludes, noting it is a key part of discussions with Western allies on security guarantees. In a joint appearance with Canada’s visiting Prime Minister, Mark Carney, Zelensky stated that the issue of “‘boots on the ground’ is important for us.”
Separately, Zelensky confirmed to Sky News that Ukrainian forces have used their own weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory and do not consult with Washington on such operations. This was in response to a Wall Street Journal article suggesting the Pentagon had quietly prevented Kyiv from using U.S.-made long-range missiles for such strikes.
In related political commentary, U.S. Vice President JD Vance claimed in an interview with NBC that Russia has made “important concessions on Ukraine” for the first time in three and a half years, suggesting Moscow is being “very flexible on some of its core demands.”
Conversely, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western countries of “trying to block peace talks on Ukraine.” In an interview with NBC News, Lavrov also denied that a summit between Presidents Putin and Zelensky was discussed during Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Dismissing Zelensky’s calls for a meeting as “fundamentally a game,” Lavrov stated, “He wants theatricality in everything he does. He doesn’t care about substance.” Lavrov confirmed that President Putin, following Trump’s meeting with Zelensky at the White House, expressed readiness to continue direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations that began in Istanbul, but emphasized that any top-level summits “must be prepared very well.”