Zelensky, Putin agree on expediting return of detainees

A phone call between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, has taken place at the Ukrainian initiative, the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Wednesday.

"An agreement to expedite the return of detainees was reached," the press service said.

This is the second Putin-Zelensky phone call since Zelensky's inauguration. The previous conversation took place less than a month ago, on July 12, also at Ukraine's initiative. Putin and Zelensky discussed the Donbas situation, prisoner swaps, and the prospect of negotiations in the Normandy format.