Russia Stalls 1,000-for-1,000 Prisoner Exchange — Putin Claims Ukraine 'Not Ready'; Kyiv Says Moscow Breaking Pledge Made to United States

On May 10, 2026, Day 2 of the three-day ceasefire, Russia moved to undermine the central achievement of the Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement — the landmark 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner of war exchange. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly stated there was 'no confirmation' of the exchange and claimed Ukraine was 'not ready' for the swap, contradicting both Ukrainian and American statements about the agreement. A Ukrainian government source told RBC Ukraine that Russia was deliberately complicating the prisoner exchange process, a tactic Ukraine has observed repeatedly in previous swap negotiations. The source stated: 'They understand how important prisoner exchanges are for Ukrainians, so they always try to complicate them. But in this case, there was a conversation mediated by the United States.' Ukraine's position was that responsibility now extended to the US government to guarantee what had been agreed: 'Russia is breaking their promise not so much to us as to the United States.' Zelensky's office continued pressing for the exchange to proceed, arguing that bringing Ukrainian POWs home was the primary strategic value of the ceasefire period. The complication added to growing evidence that Russia was using the ceasefire tactically — for troop rotations, logistics resupply, and diplomatic signaling — rather than as a genuine step toward peace. The prisoner exchange crisis highlighted the asymmetric stakes: Ukraine had more civilian and military POWs held by Russia than vice versa, making the exchange disproportionately valuable to Ukrainian families.