Zelensky offers to return captured North Korean troops in exchange for Ukrainian POWs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he was willing to hand over two captured soldiers from North Korea back to their home country in exchange for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday he was ready to hand over captured North Korean soldiers to Pyongyang in exchange for the return of Ukrainian POWs held in Russia.
Zelensky's offer came hours after South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed Ukraine's announcement from the previous day that it had captured two North Korean soldiers.
Kyiv said Saturday they had been wounded fighting Ukraine's troops in Russia's Kursk region, but at the time did not provide any proof of their nationality.
But on Sunday, the NIS told AFP it had "confirmed that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk battlefield in Russia".
In a post on X Sunday, Zelensky said: "Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia."
There would "undoubtedly be more" North Korean soldiers captured by Kyiv, he added.
The soldier also said North Korean forces had experienced "significant losses during battle".
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