The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has called on Russia to refrain from creating artificial barriers to prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen soldiers.
The ministry released an official statement on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
“We urge the Russian side not to fabricate false claims or create artificial obstacles to avoid returning Ukrainian prisoners of war or taking back their own people from Ukraine,” the statement reads.
The ministry said that during talks in Istanbul, the Russian delegation made a clear commitment: starting immediately, to carry out prisoner exchanges based on agreed categories (severely wounded, wounded, and soldiers born after 2000), and to begin phased repatriation of the remains of fallen soldiers — Russians to Russia, Ukrainians to Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side is once again facing attempts to walk back agreements after the fact,” the ministry said.
“If the Russian side now refuses to fulfill the promises made in Istanbul, it once again calls into question the credibility and capability of their negotiation team,” the statement added.
The ministry stressed that all agreements must be implemented exactly as discussed in Istanbul and in the follow-up technical consultations.
The second round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on June 2. The parties agreed to an “all-for-all” exchange involving severely ill prisoners of war and soldiers aged 18-25. They also agreed to exchange the remains of fallen soldiers — 6,000 from each side.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had indicated it could return 500 Ukrainian prisoners of war on June 7-8.
Source: Ukraine urges Russia not to create artificial obstacles to prisoner exchanges
