Ukraine and Russia agree to prisoner exchange
Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a prisoner swap that is expected to involve a total of 277 people detained in the conflict in the east of the country, a senior Ukrainian official said on July 18.
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| Prisoners were handed over to the Ukrainian side. Photo: Facebook |
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Roman Bezsmertny said that Kiev hopes to exchange 208 people serving prison sentences for 69 Ukrainians.
Mr. Bezsmertny is Ukraine’s representative in the political working group of the Trilateral Contact Group, which was set up to facilitate a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Mr. Bezsmertny did not provide an exact date for the talks, but preparations could last for months.
Earlier, a senior official at the President's Office and candidate for the position of Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Mr. Vadym Prystaiko, said that Kiev and Moscow had agreed that the prisoner exchange would take place next month.
Fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014. The conflict continues to be sporadic despite a ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides.
In the last prisoner exchange in December 2017, Ukraine handed over about 300 prisoners to pro-Russian separatists in the east and received 70 in return. However, subsequent disagreements have prevented further exchanges from taking place.
Moscow is still holding dozens of Ukrainian prisoners, but it is unclear how many Russians are being held.
