Russia accuses Ukraine of delaying POW exchange amid massive attack
Live Events
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Kyiv: Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of postponing a large-scale exchange of captured soldiers, hours after Moscow's army launched a barrage of missiles, drones and bombs across the country.Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release all wounded soldiers and those aged under-25 that had been captured, with both sides saying the exchange was set for this weekend.The POW swap - to involve more than 1,000 people on each side - along with an agreement to hand over the bodies of thousands of killed soldiers was the only concrete outcome of a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.Russia has rejected Ukraine's calls for an unconditional ceasefire, drawing accusations Moscow has no desire to halt its three-year invasion."The Ukrainian side has unexpectedly postponed for an indefinite period, both the acceptance of the bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war," Russia's top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on social media. Medinsky said Russia had brought the bodies of 1,212 killed Ukrainian soldiers to the "exchange area" - the first of 6,000 to be handed over.Moscow had also sent a list to Kyiv with the names of 640 POWs to be swapped in the first stage. The exchange was set to be the largest of the war, topping last month's 1,000-for-1,000 swap that was agreed at a first round of talks in Istanbul."We urge Kyiv to strictly adhere to the timetable and all agreements reached, and begin the exchange immediately," Medinsky said.Kyiv did not immediately respond to the accusation.After the Istanbul talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the exchange would take place this weekend, while Russia said it was ready for Saturday, Sunday or Monday. The accusation came hours after Russia launched a massive aerial attack across Ukraine, heavily targeting the city of Kharkiv.At least eight people were killed in the overnight barrage and frontline shelling in total, officials said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Had a fruitful meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy: Piyush Goyal
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday described his meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy as 'fruitful' as they discussed avenues to deepen bilateral trade and strengthen collaboration across various sectors to "unlock" the full potential of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership "Had a fruitful meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy today. We both expressed our appreciation towards the work done in finalising the historic India-UK FTA, which is poised to give further boost to our growing ties. We further discussed avenues to deepen bilateral trade and strengthen collaboration across various sectors to unlock the full potential of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," posted Goyal on X.A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and said his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in comprehensive strategic partnership is appreciative."Pleased to meet UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism," posted PM Modi on Lammy posted on X, "Thank you Prime Minister@narendramodifor your warm welcome to India. Building on the free trade agreement between our great countries, we will continue working together to deepen our partnership, celebrate our unique living bridge, and deliver growth and security."Earlier on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the UK Foreign Secretary also held bilateral a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, "Glad to meet UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today in Delhi. Appreciate UK's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack on Pahalgam and support in combatting terrorism. Our conversation focused on the significant strides being made by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Agreed that as our collaboration continues to grow, new opportunities emerge. Also discussed global and regional issues as also cooperation in multilateral fora."The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and posted on X, "Great to see my friend S Jaishankar in Delhi today. We are advancing a new era in UK-India relations -- boosting trade and technology, tackling the climate crisis and providing greater security for our people."During the meeting, UK FS Lammy expressed condolences over the recent Pahalgam terror attack and reiterated the UK's support in combating terrorism. Lammy also spoke about the recent progress in the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), underscoring growing education and trade condolences on the terrror attack, Lammy said, "It is obviously also sadly the case that there has been a horrific terrorist attack since we last met and my Prime Minister wishes me to convey once again the deep condolences of the UK and a hand of friendship with India and support as we deal with the terrorism threat in a comprehensive manner."
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Had a fruitful meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy: Piyush Goyal
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday described his meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy as 'fruitful' as they discussed avenues to deepen bilateral trade and strengthen collaboration across various sectors to "unlock" the full potential of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership "Had a fruitful meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy today. We both expressed our appreciation towards the work done in finalising the historic India-UK FTA, which is poised to give further boost to our growing ties. We further discussed avenues to deepen bilateral trade and strengthen collaboration across various sectors to unlock the full potential of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," posted Goyal on X.A day earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and said his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in comprehensive strategic partnership is appreciative."Pleased to meet UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Appreciate his substantive contribution to the remarkable progress in our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, further strengthened by the recently concluded FTA. Value UK's support for India's fight against cross-border terrorism," posted PM Modi on Lammy posted on X, "Thank you Prime Minister@narendramodifor your warm welcome to India. Building on the free trade agreement between our great countries, we will continue working together to deepen our partnership, celebrate our unique living bridge, and deliver growth and security."Earlier on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the UK Foreign Secretary also held bilateral a post on X, EAM Jaishankar said, "Glad to meet UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today in Delhi. Appreciate UK's strong condemnation of the terrorist attack on Pahalgam and support in combatting terrorism. Our conversation focused on the significant strides being made by the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Agreed that as our collaboration continues to grow, new opportunities emerge. Also discussed global and regional issues as also cooperation in multilateral fora."The UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and posted on X, "Great to see my friend S Jaishankar in Delhi today. We are advancing a new era in UK-India relations -- boosting trade and technology, tackling the climate crisis and providing greater security for our people."During the meeting, UK FS Lammy expressed condolences over the recent Pahalgam terror attack and reiterated the UK's support in combating terrorism. Lammy also spoke about the recent progress in the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), underscoring growing education and trade condolences on the terrror attack, Lammy said, "It is obviously also sadly the case that there has been a horrific terrorist attack since we last met and my Prime Minister wishes me to convey once again the deep condolences of the UK and a hand of friendship with India and support as we deal with the terrorism threat in a comprehensive manner."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Ukraine denies postponing POW swaps as Russian strike kills three
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (AP) Ukraine denied Russian allegations on Saturday that it had indefinitely postponed prisoner swaps, accusing Moscow of "playing dirty games" after overnight Russian missile and bomb strikes on Kharkiv left three people dead and 22 injured. Separately, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people. At a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, the two sides agreed to swap more prisoners and return the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. However, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday Kyiv had unexpectedly postponed the exchanges indefinitely. This was denied by Andriy Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, who said Moscow should stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Overnight, Russian forces used high-precision long-range weapons and drones to attack military targets in Ukraine, hitting all of them, according to Russia's defence ministry. The northeastern city of Kharkiv, one of Ukraine's largest, is just a few dozen kilometres from the Russian border and has been under frequent Russian shelling during more than three years of war triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion. "Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war," mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post on Telegram earlier on Saturday. Residential buildings, educational and infrastructure facilities were attacked, he said, and photos showed buildings burnt and reduced partially to rubble, as rescuers carried the wounded away for treatment. A Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russian territory last weekend likely damaged around 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet and hit some of the aircraft. afp
