Ukraine, Russia exchange hundreds of prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, according to officials.
“Today, 160 soldiers were released from captivity,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the social media platform X. he said.
He said that these people have been held captive since 2022 and that they include not only regular soldiers but also National Guard and border guards.
Earlier, Russian news agency TASS, quoting the defense ministry, reported the return of 160 Russian prisoners of war.
According to the report, Russian soldiers are currently in Belarus and will be taken to Russia after receiving medical treatment.
According to TASS, the swap was brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war 76 times.
Most recently, 185 prisoners from both sides returned at the beginning of June.
More than four years after the start of the war waged by Russian forces, it is the only area where the two sides of the conflict are in dialogue.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks on Friday that are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine.
The two leaders met at Putin’s Valdai residence in northwestern Russia and discussed trade and economic cooperation, implementation of joint projects and regional security issues.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had previously told TASS that no press releases or documents were planned to be signed after the meeting.
The meeting followed rising tensions between Belarus and Ukraine after Zelenskiy said he believed Putin was trying to persuade Lukashenko to increase his support for Russia in the conflict.
Russia and Belarus deny this, and Belarus says it is Ukraine and its allies that are fueling tensions.
Lukashenko said he met with Zelenskiy’s representatives on Thursday and warned them not to try to drag his country into war.
The Kremlin accused Ukraine of threatening Belarus’ sovereignty after Zelenskiy last Friday gave Belarus a week to remove signal relay stations that he said were used to direct Russian attacks.
The Kremlin said Monday that Putin and Lukashenko are expected to discuss Zelenskiy’s remarks “in the foreseeable future.”
On Wednesday, Zelenskiy said transfer stations had stopped working, although there was no independent confirmation.
via Reuters
