logo
Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems

Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems

Daily Maverick5 hours ago

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on a new prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv's failure to so far honour its side of the bargain.
Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of indefinitely postponing the exchanges, something Kyiv denied.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday repeated Russian accusations against Ukraine.
'We have seen and heard a hundred different excuses, justifications and so on, but it is difficult to view them as credible,' Peskov told reporters.
'The Russian side remains ready to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul.'
The exchanges were agreed to during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 and are meant to see a new prisoner of war swap of at least 1,200 POWs – focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded – as well as the repatriation of thousands of bodies of those killed in the war.
The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides had been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them. He said a first list of 640 POWs had also been handed to Ukraine in order to begin the exchange.
Ukrainian officials rejected those accusations and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Sunday to press on with prisoner exchanges despite tensions around the issue.
He said though that Ukraine had not yet received a full list of prisoners to be released and accused Moscow of 'trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russia, Ukraine swap first prisoners in large-scale exchange
Russia, Ukraine swap first prisoners in large-scale exchange

eNCA

time3 hours ago

  • eNCA

Russia, Ukraine swap first prisoners in large-scale exchange

Russia and Ukraine on Monday swapped a first group of captured soldiers -- part of an agreement reached during peace talks that appeared to be in doubt over the weekend. The deal to exchange prisoners of war and repatriate the bodies of killed fighters was the only concrete agreement reached at the talks, which have failed to lead to a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Progress has stalled. Russia has issued tough conditions for halting its invasion and has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Today an exchange began, which will continue in several stages over the coming days," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media. He posted images of soldiers draped in Ukrainian flags, cheering and hugging. "Among those we are bringing back now are the wounded, the severely wounded, and those under the age of 25," he added. Russia's defence ministry also confirmed the swap was part of "agreements reached on 2 June in Istanbul". Neither side said how many prisoners were released. After the talks in Istanbul, both said it would involve more than 1,000 captured soldiers, making it the largest exchange of the three-year war. The swap itself had appeared in jeopardy over the weekend, when Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of delaying and thwarting the planned exchange. Zelensky accused Russia on Sunday of playing a "dirty, political game" and of not sticking to the agreed parameters -- to free all captured soldiers that are sick, wounded or under the age of 25. Russia said Kyiv was refusing to take back bodies of dead soldiers, 1,200 of which it said were waiting in refrigerated trucks near the border. - Talks 'pointless' - Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forced millions to flee their homes and decimated much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Pressed by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict, the two sides have opened direct negotiations for the first time in more than three years in search of an agreement. But they appear as far apart as ever from an agreement. In Istanbul on June 2, Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from areas still under its control, recognise Moscow's annexation of five Ukrainian regions and renounce all Western military support. Kyiv is seeking a full ceasefire and a summit between Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump to try to break the impasse. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. Meanwhile fighting on the front lines and in the skies has intensified. Russia said on Sunday its troops had crossed into Ukraine's industrial Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in its campaign -- a potentially key advance given that Moscow has not put forward a territorial claim to that region. war And Moscow launched a record 479 drones at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv's air force said on Monday. The Ukrainian mayor of the western city of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, called it "the largest attack" on the region since the start of the war. Russia said it had targeted an airfield near the village of Dubno in the Rivne region. It called the attack "one of the retaliatory strikes" for a brazen drone attack by Ukraine on June 1 against Russian military jets stationed at air bases thousands of kilometres (miles) behind the front line. Kyiv also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Russian electronics factory overnight, saying it manufactured parts for drones.

Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems
Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems

Daily Maverick

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Maverick

Kremlin says Russia is still ready for prisoner swap with Ukraine despite problems

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on a new prisoner of war exchange and on the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was Kyiv's failure to so far honour its side of the bargain. Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of indefinitely postponing the exchanges, something Kyiv denied. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday repeated Russian accusations against Ukraine. 'We have seen and heard a hundred different excuses, justifications and so on, but it is difficult to view them as credible,' Peskov told reporters. 'The Russian side remains ready to implement the agreements reached in Istanbul.' The exchanges were agreed to during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 and are meant to see a new prisoner of war swap of at least 1,200 POWs – focusing on the youngest and most severely wounded – as well as the repatriation of thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. The return of prisoners of war and the return of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides had been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them. He said a first list of 640 POWs had also been handed to Ukraine in order to begin the exchange. Ukrainian officials rejected those accusations and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed on Sunday to press on with prisoner exchanges despite tensions around the issue. He said though that Ukraine had not yet received a full list of prisoners to be released and accused Moscow of 'trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game.'

Russia says plan to boost role in Africa includes 'sensitive' security ties
Russia says plan to boost role in Africa includes 'sensitive' security ties

TimesLIVE

time8 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Russia says plan to boost role in Africa includes 'sensitive' security ties

Russia plans to step up co-operation with African countries including in 'sensitive areas' such as defence and security, the Kremlin said on Monday. Russian mercenary group Wagner said last week it was leaving Mali after helping the military junta in its fight against Islamist militants. The Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force, said it would remain in the West African country. Asked what this meant for Russia's role in Africa, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: 'The Russian presence in Africa is growing. We intend to comprehensively develop our interaction with African countries, focusing primarily on economic and investment interaction. 'This also corresponds to and extends to such sensitive areas as defence and security. In this regard, Russia will also continue interaction and co-operation with African states.' Russia's growing security role in parts of the continent, including in countries such as Mali, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, is viewed with concern by the West, and has come at the expense of France and the US. Russia's Africa Corps was created with the Russian defence ministry's support after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and commander Dmitry Utkin led a failed mutiny against the Russian army leadership in June 2023 and were killed two months later in a jet aeroplane crash. About 70%-80% of the Africa Corps is made up of former Wagner members, according to several Telegram chats used by Russian mercenaries seen by Reuters.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store