In September 2022, around 300 prisoners of war from Russia and Ukraine were facing death or indefinite imprisonment threats. On the same day when Russian President Putin announced the mobilization of 300,000 Russian troops, the warring parties surprisingly announced an agreement on a prisoner exchange.
According to Cnbc, one of the largest broadcasting corporations in the U.S., the decision for the exchange was one of the most unexpected and shocking decisions since the start of the war, and this time, the credit did not go to the West; instead, it was attributed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan thanked Türkiye for its facilitating and mediating role during the war and stated on his social media account, "I thank the Turkish government for helping to facilitate the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia."
In another post, Sullivan also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Government for their mediation in the return of ten foreign nationals, including two Americans, who were taken prisoner by Russia.
Saudi Arabia is preparing to host a Ukraine peace summit in the coming days, inviting Ukraine, the U.S., European countries, China, India, Brazil, and many other nations. Cnbc reported that during this summit, Erdoğan and Prince Bin Salman were attempting to reach an agreement to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.
The broadcasting corporation highlighted Türkiye's efforts to revive the Black Sea grain initiative, which has played a role in addressing the global food crisis.
Cnbc stated that Türkiye and Saudi Arabia's mediation in such a large-scale conflict opened a new chapter, indicating the rise of middle powers in a new world where decisions are not only made by the U.S. and the West, and smaller countries do not feel compelled to align themselves with Russia and China.
Hussein Ibish, a senior scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, commented to Cnbc that this situation marked the beginning of a more multipolar world and reflects the rise of middle-level regional powers.
Highlighting both Türkiye and Saudi Arabia's good relations with both Russia and the West, Ibish emphasized that Türkiye had been a NATO member for about 70 years, and Saudi Arabia had had a security relationship with the U.S. for 80 years, making both countries well-positioned mediators.
Cnbc wrote that mediating the largest land battle in Europe since WW2 required "realism," and as a result, expectations for recent peace negotiations were low.
