Ukraine, Russia to swap remains of 6,000 soldiers: Kyiv’s response
By : Sandhya
The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to evolve daily, but on Monday, both sides agreed to take a significant humanitarian step. According to an AFP report, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange seriously wounded soldiers, bringing them back to their respective countries. The prisoner of war swap is expected to take place soon.
Exchange of Remains and Young Soldiers
In addition to the wounded prisoners, officials from Kyiv confirmed that the remains of nearly 6,000 fallen soldiers will also be returned. Furthermore, both countries agreed to exchange young soldiers aged between 18 and 25 years.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator and Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, told reporters in Istanbul, “We agreed to exchange all seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war — all for all. The second category is young soldiers aged 18 to 25 years — all for all. Also, we agreed to return 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers.”
Talks Held in Istanbul
The delegations met in Istanbul on Monday, where officials confirmed the agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the remains of 6,000 fallen soldiers. However, progress toward ending the three-year-long war remained limited, according to an Al Jazeera report.
Both sides unanimously agreed to the exchange of seriously wounded soldiers and young soldiers between 18 and 25 years old. This marked the second diplomatic dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, though expectations for a breakthrough were low. During their previous meeting, another prisoner swap was discussed but no ceasefire was agreed upon.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said after the talks, “The Russian side continued to reject the motion of an unconditional ceasefire.”