More than 1,000 Ukrainian bodies have been handed back to Kyiv after a prisoner-of-war exchange – as Volodymyr Zelenskyy renews calls for sanctions.
The Ukrainian president said on social media that many of those released by Russia had been “held captive since 2022”.
“It is our absolute duty to free them all,” he added. “And we are working toward exactly that – to leave no one behind in the enemy’s hands. I thank everyone who is helping.”
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Russia’s defence ministry said it had handed over the bodies of 1,200 dead Ukrainian soldiers on Friday, but state media reported on Saturday that Moscow had not received any of its war dead back from Kyiv.
The ministry added that its soldiers are in Belarus, where they are receiving medical treatment before being transferred back to Russia.
It comes after both sides agreed to exchange those held captive at talks in Istanbul earlier this month. However, the talks failed to lead to a ceasefire.
In a post on X, Mr Zelenskyy renewed calls for sanctions on Russia, saying that “no one has been able to stop Putin” and that “he must lose money” to end the war.
“Capping the price of Russian energy is critical, because oil is their main source of income,” Mr Zelenskyy added.
“What happens in the Middle East is now driving oil prices up, and that, in turn, affects Europe’s security.
“That’s why oil price caps are such a powerful tool.”
He went on to say talks between the US and Russia “feels too warm”, adding: “Putin must understand clearly: America will stand with Ukraine, including by imposing sanctions and supporting our army.
“Any signals of reduced aid, or of treating Ukraine and Russia as equals, are deeply unfair. Russia is the aggressor. They started this war. They do not want to end it.”
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It comes as the Ukrainian president dismissed claims that Russian troops had crossed into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk – which had remained under Ukrainian control since the war started in February 2022.
Mr Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian troops had stopped Russian troops from advancing in the northeastern Sumy region, and are fighting to regain control of the border.
He said: “You should understand that the enemy has been stopped there. And the maximum depth at which the fighting takes place is 7km from the border.”
