{"id":130530,"date":"2025-03-19T14:51:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T14:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-prisoner-swap-goes-ahead-putin-accused-of-breaking-pledge-to-us-before-trump-zelenskyy-call-sky-news\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T14:51:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T14:51:39","slug":"ukraine-war-latest-prisoner-swap-goes-ahead-putin-accused-of-breaking-pledge-to-us-before-trump-zelenskyy-call-sky-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/ukraine-war-latest-prisoner-swap-goes-ahead-putin-accused-of-breaking-pledge-to-us-before-trump-zelenskyy-call-sky-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine war latest: Prisoner swap goes ahead; Putin accused of breaking pledge to US before Trump-Zelenskyy call – Sky News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking to Donald Trump this afternoon. Earlier, he and European leaders criticised Vladimir Putin after his forces launched attacks on Ukrainian energy targets overnight – despite Putin’s pledge to Trump last night. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
Wednesday 19 March 2025 14:49, UK
Live reporting by Ollie Cooper<\/a><\/i>
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke returns tomorrow for his weekly Q&A on the Ukraine war – covering anything from the battlefield to the negotiating table.
He’ll tackle as many of your questions as he can at 1pm – submit yours in the box above.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are now talking on the phone, the White House has said. 
The US president is taking the call from the Oval Office. 
US national security adviser Mike Waltz says he plans to speak to his counterparts in Russia and Ukraine today.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said: “Shuttle diplomacy is difficult, it’s tough.
“But we are going back and forth at every level driving both sides toward a ceasefire and driving both sides toward the end of this war.”
Waltz also revealed some further details from Donald Trump’s “historic” call with Vladimir Putin.
On suggestions that the Russian leader left Trump waiting before the call began, Waltz said: “Donald J Trump does not sit and wait for an hour for any head of state.”
Ukraine’s president has also confirmed the prisoner swap with Russia that we mentioned in our last post. 
“This is one of the largest POW exchanges. Returning home are our soldiers, sergeants, and officers,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. 
He also shared these images on Telegram… 
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners as arranged during the Trump-Putin call last night, Moscow says.
Moscow’s defence ministry said 175 Ukrainian soldiers had been swapped for 175 Russians.
Moscow also returned 22 heavily wounded Ukrainian prisoners in need of urgent medical care in what it called a “goodwill gesture”.
That’s one fewer than had been expected, with no reason given for the difference.
Moscow said the United Arab Emirates mediated the deal and that freed Russian soldiers were in Belarus awaiting to travel home.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking at the University of Helsinki with Alexander Stubb, Finland’s president.
He says he hopes Trump will increase pressure on Russian individuals and entities violating US sanctions.
He adds that Vladimir Putin will look for “any possibility” to avoid a full ceasefire.
As a reminder, Zelenskyy and Trump are expected to speak on the phone at 2pm UK time.
A planned phone call between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump is due to take place at 2pm UK time, according to reports.
Zelenskyy revealed he would be speaking with Trump at a news conference in Finland this morning (see 12.38pm post).
US news website Axios is reporting the call will happen at 10am ET (2pm UK time).
Vladimir Putin says Russian troops are “completing the defeat” of Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
Kyiv sent its forces into the Russian region last August, aiming to divert Moscow’s troops from eastern Ukraine and gain a bargaining chip in any future talks.
Russia has managed to gain significant territorial gains in the region in recent weeks, with geolocated footage showing Ukraine’s foothold there is on the verge of being eradicated.
“Our troops have recently carried out a series of rapid, rather daring, effective operations and are completing the defeat of the enemy group of troops in the Kursk region,” Putin said.
According to the Kremlin’s readout of yesterday’s call between Putin and Donald Trump, the Russian leader confirmed Moscow is ready to guarantee the lives of Ukrainian soldiers who surrender in Kursk.
Shortly after the call, Trump repeated debunked claims that Russia has “encircled” some 2,500 Ukrainian troops in the region.
Speaking today, Zelenskyy said there is “no encirclement” in Kursk, labelling it “Russian disinformation”.
Earlier Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed he would speak to Donald Trump today.
Addressing media in Helsinki, Zelenskyy said he would be “discussing the details” of Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin last night.
The exchange will be Zelenskyy and Trump’s first direct contact since their fiery exchange in the Oval Office last month.
The Ukrainian was in Washington expecting to sign a critical minerals deal but left early after he and Trump clashed in front of the world’s cameras.
Here’s a video explaining just how those White House talks unravelled…<\/b>
Andriy Yermak, the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, has just shared an update on Ukrainian diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Posting on X, he says work continues on securing a “just and lasting peace”.
We’ve reported this morning on a Russian drone strike that hit a hospital in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine.
Here are the latest images released by the state emergency services of the fire at the hospital and the efforts to put it out.
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