Exchange of Bodies Between Ukraine and Russia, European Countries Reject U.S.-Backed Peace Plan
Ukrainian officials and Russian state media reported on Thursday that Ukraine and Russia conducted a new exchange of bodies of fallen soldiers, while European countries rejected a U.S.-backed peace plan.
The Ukrainian government’s Prisoner of War Center announced via Telegram that 1,000 bodies had been returned to Ukraine, reportedly of Ukrainian soldiers, while Russian authorities said they had received 30 bodies.
The center added that investigators and experts from the Interior Ministry will soon conduct identification processes for the bodies.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, an undisclosed source confirmed Moscow recovered 30 bodies.
The exchange of bodies between Russia and Ukraine was initially agreed upon during the second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, which also covered the return of seriously ill prisoners and prisoners under 25 years old.
Since the start of the war on February 24, 2022, both sides have carried out multiple exchanges of bodies as well as live prisoners. The last exchange of bodies took place at the end of October and involved 1,000 bodies as well.
To date, Ukraine has received more than 15,000 bodies from Russia since the beginning of the year, while hundreds of bodies have been returned to Russia.
However, peace talks remain stalled, with no face-to-face meeting between negotiators since a July 23 meeting in Istanbul that lasted only 40 minutes.
European countries have rejected a U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine, which reportedly would require Ukraine to cede additional territory and partially disarm—conditions that Kyiv’s allies consider tantamount to surrender.
EU foreign policy official Kaya Kallas said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, “For any plan to succeed, Ukrainians and Europeans must be involved, and this is very clear.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated upon arriving at the meeting, “Peace cannot mean surrender,” emphasizing that Ukrainians “will always reject any form of surrender,” while Europeans remain committed to a principle of “just and lasting peace.”
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the new U.S. plan takes into account conditions previously proposed by Russia, which Ukrainian authorities view as surrender.
The Kremlin said any peace plan must address the root causes of the conflict. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added that although there are contacts with the United States, there are currently no negotiations regarding such a plan.
Military Developments
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday that 22 people remain missing after a Russian strike on Ternopil (western Ukraine) the previous day, which killed 26 people, including three children, and injured more than 90.
The missile hit a residential complex in Ternopil, marking one of the deadliest strikes since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Rescue teams are still searching for survivors among the rubble.
Separately, energy sector officials reported that electricity was cut off for over 400,000 Ukrainian consumers by midday following a widespread Russian attack on western Ukraine, which also reduced output from Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Meanwhile, Russian news agencies cited the Defense Ministry saying its forces had intercepted four Storm Shadow missiles.
