3 weeks Ago
The deal was concluded last week at talks in Turkey, and it concentrates on the release of detainees who are under 25 and who are seriously wounded. The exchange, Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, includes soldiers who fought in some of the war's seminal early battles.
Russia and Ukraine Say They Are Making Progress Toward Prisoner Swap
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced the swap, saying that its instantly returning servicemen had wound up in Belarus where they are undergoing "medical and psychological" treatment. Russian envoy Vladimir Medinsky described the operation as the biggest prisoner swap since the beginning of the war, adding Russia would return over 6,000 bodies of dead Ukrainian troops and an unspecified number of wounded soldiers.
The exchange came amid increasing tension between the two sides. Moscow over the weekend accused Kyiv of holding up the return of the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers. Kyiv rejected the allegations, and said that, while an agreement had been made to swap the wounded and young prisoners, no date had been decided for the return of the remains.
The addition of all stages in ongoing discussions
Zelensky also stressed that the two countries would continue to negotiate daily, given the complexity of the operation. He echoed Ukraine's dedication to the full implementation of the humanitarian provisions and the safe return of all detainees.
The ongoing dialogue is related to a second stage of the direct peace negotiations between the two sides which took place last Monday in Istanbul. While the two cities' first direct meeting in more than a year lasted a little more than an hour and produced no breakthrough, it did ensure that the important humanitarian initiative moved ahead.
