UPDATE 2 - Zelenskyy voices hope for renewed prisoner swaps with Russia by end of year

​​​​​​​REVISES DECKS, LEDE; ADDS REMARKS BY ZELENSKYY; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Alperen Aktas and Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday he hopes to renew large-scale prisoner swaps with Russia by the end of the year, praising Türkiye’s mediation efforts and expressing Kyiv's trust in the "strength of Turkish diplomacy."

Zelenskyy said at a news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following talks in Ankara that the two leaders held a “very productive and substantive” meeting and underlined that Ukraine "greatly" valued the trust between the two countries and their peoples.

He thanked Türkiye for maintaining a principled stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and for its clear support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He said Türkiye and Ukraine discussed cooperation, including joint production projects, noting that their teams will work on matters agreed upon during the talks.

He also said they are making "every effort" to restore prisoner swaps with Russia, expressing hope for the return of a significant number of Ukrainian POWs "by the end of the year."

"Türkiye is helping us greatly in this effort, and we want to personally thank you, Mr. President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan)," said Zelenskyy, noting that 2,500 Ukrainian POWs have been or are being returned to Kyiv through Turkish-mediated processes.

"We need to accelerate these processes, and we need to speed up these diplomatic efforts," he added.

Moscow and Kyiv held three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul -- on May 16, June 2 and July 23 -- resulting in major prisoner swaps and draft memoranda outlining respective positions for a future peace deal to end the more than three-and-a-half-year war, which began in February 2022.

The Ukrainian president said he and Erdogan addressed the "situation in diplomacy," stating many processes are intensifying and that they want to channel the activity "toward peace, a dignified peace and guaranteed security."

Expressing that there is "no alternative to peace," Zelenskyy argued that he shares the same view with Türkiye that "peace and security must be guaranteed."

"We will continue to closely coordinate and work with all our partners. I am grateful for Türkiye’s assistance and, once again, I thank President Erdogan. We count on the strength of Turkish diplomacy and on its clarity in Moscow," he said.

Zelenskyy also noted that "everyone" understands the importance of security in the Black Sea, adding that Ukraine’s security can only be ensured together with Türkiye.