KIEV (dpa-AFX) – According to Ukrainian information, the exchange of prisoners of war between Kiev and Moscow, which has come to a standstill, will be resumed. The process will be activated again shortly; it is about the return of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity, wrote former Defense Minister Rustem Umjerov, who has now been appointed Ukrainian ambassador to the USA, on Telegram. Umjerov led the Ukrainian negotiating delegation in talks with Russia in the spring.
The most important result of the negotiations in May and June was the agreement on prisoner exchanges that ran in the spring and summer. However, there have been no new releases for some time. The talks between Moscow and Kiev to end the war, which has lasted more than three and a half years, are also on hold following Umyerov’s transfer.
Now, on the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelensky, he has held talks with mediators in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to revive the prisoner exchange, Umjerov said. According to him, the fundamental questions have been clarified and technical consultations on processing will begin shortly. The soldiers would come home before Christmas and New Year, he promised./bal/DP/he