Russia’s missile and drone attack casts more doubt on the U.S.-brokered peace process. Trump’s envoy to Ukraine described the strikes as “shameful” in a post on X.

A pre-meditated choreography of failure The long-anticipated negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, held once again in Istanbul on Friday 16 May (although initially scheduled for Thursday 15 May),

Russia and Ukraine have completed the first phase of what is expected to be the biggest prisoner exchange since the start of the war, with almost 800 people released on Friday.

Ukrainian officials say that a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack targeted the country for a second consecutive night, killing at least twelve people and injuring dozens.

An agreement by Ukraine and Russia for a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange is thought to be the only concrete result of peace talks in Istanbul which took place last week, which were the first such negotiations since 2022 when the ongoing war began. Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds more prisoners as part of a major swap that amounted to a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire.

Russia and Ukraine conducted the largest prisoner of war exchange of the war to date on Wednesday, with around 1,000 soldiers from each side swapped.

Russia and Ukraine began their largest exchange of prisoners of war on Friday, with each side returning 390 soldiers and civilians, according to both governments. More swaps were expected on Saturday and Sunday, as the two countries have committed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.

CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — An exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine from their more than three-year war was underway Friday, a senior Ukrainian official said. The swap was not yet finished, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Russian drones and missiles again bombarded cities across Ukraine on Saturday night into Sunday morning despite the completion of a major prisoner exchange.