(Reuters) -Ukraine is working to renew the trade of prisoners with Russia, hoping for the discharge of 1,200 Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Safety Council chief mentioned.
“We’re … relying on the resumption of exchanges,” Zelenskiy mentioned in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday. “Many conferences, negotiations and calls are actually dedicated to this.”
His safety chief, Rustem Umerov, mentioned on Saturday that he had held consultations in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, with the assist of Kyiv’s companions, on resuming the method of exchanges.
“On account of these negotiations, the events agreed to return to the Istanbul agreements,” he mentioned. “This issues the discharge of 1,200 Ukrainians,” Umerov mentioned in an announcement on Telegram.
There was no rapid remark from Moscow to Ukraine’s statements.
The Istanbul agreements are prisoner-exchange understandings brokered with Turkish mediation in 2022, setting out guidelines for big, coordinated swaps between Russia and Ukraine.
Since then, the 2 have traded 1000’s of prisoners, although exchanges have been sporadic and infrequently disrupted by frontline escalation within the conflict Russia launched in opposition to Ukraine in February 2022.
Umerov mentioned that consultations would happen within the close to future to determine the procedural and organisational particulars of the method.
“We’re working with out pause in order that Ukrainians who’re to return from captivity can rejoice New 12 months and Christmas at residence – on the household desk and with their family members,” Umerov mentioned.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Modifying by William Mallard)