Former Ukrainian foreign minister discusses how to bridge gaps between Ukraine, Russia

NPR's A Martinez asks Ukraine's former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for his proposals to close gaps in talks between Russia, Ukraine and Europe.

Let's hear from a former Ukrainian official with extensive experience negotiating on behalf of the country. Dmytro Kuleba was foreign minister for Ukraine from 2020 to 2024. Today, he's a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. Minister, Russia and Ukraine agreed, at least in principle, to a large-scale prisoner exchange as part of these talks. They've done that before. Were you hoping for more progress to be made with these talks?

DMYTRO KULEBA: No, I didn't. And I actually have to say that prisoner swaps should be taking place outside of the scope of political negotiations as a part of regular humanitarian effort. But I don't see any driver behind Russia's position that has changed recently in the trajectory of genuine negotiations in good faith.

MARTÍNEZ: So as far as making progress toward ending the war, these prisoner exchanges to you means nothing?

KULEBA: Well, prisoners exchange means the world to every Ukrainian because our people are coming back home to their family from Russian prisons, where they're subjected to torture and disregarding treatment. So it's a big deal. But it has zero impact on the progress on the political track towards ending the conflict.

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