26.05.2025 – (04:30 PM) Htate See

Meanwhile, the Russian military said Ukraine had targeted Russia with 788 drones and missiles since May 20.

It said it had shot down dozens of drones targeting Moscow over the past week.

Russia launched an attack on the capital Kiev hours before the second phase of a prisoner exchange began after the first phase of the prisoner swap agreed to by Russia and Ukraine in talks in Istanbul last week.

On May 24, the two sides exchanged 307 prisoners of war each through Russia’s ally Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian prisoners of war were given psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transferred to Russia, it said.

Despite the Russian leader’s bitter rejection of the US president’s call for an unconditional ceasefire, US President Donald Trump said on May 19 that he would immediately begin peace talks between Russia and Ukraine after speaking with Vladimir Putin.

Trump later said he believed Putin was ready for a ceasefire.

“I think he wants the war to stop. If I thought President Putin didn’t want this war to end, I wouldn’t even be talking about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.