Ukraine is intensifying efforts to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia, aiming to secure the release of 1,200 Ukrainian prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday. This development follows progress in negotiations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as revealed by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, on Saturday. Zelenskyy expressed optimism on X, stating, ‘We are counting on the resumption of POW exchanges. Many meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.’ The Istanbul agreements, established in 2022 with Turkish mediation, serve as the framework for these exchanges, which have previously facilitated the release of thousands of prisoners despite being sporadic. Umerov emphasized that technical consultations are imminent to finalize procedural details, expressing hope that the freed Ukrainians could ‘celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home — at the family table and next to their relatives.’ Meanwhile, the conflict continues unabated, with Russian drone strikes damaging energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region overnight, including a solar power plant. Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 139 of 176 drones launched by Russia, while Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have shot down 57 Ukrainian drones. These attacks exacerbate Ukraine’s struggle to maintain its power grid amid relentless Russian aerial assaults, which have caused rolling blackouts as winter approaches.