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Ukraine govt., pro-Russians agree on prisoner swap by year end

Tuesday, 24 December 2019 8:06 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 24 December 2019 8:50 AM ]

This file photo shows a police convoy escorting two buses with tinted windows leaving the high-security prison of Lefortovo, in Moscow, Russia, on September 7, 2019, as a long-awaited exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Kiev begins. (By AFP)

The representatives of the government and the pro-Russia forces in Ukraine have agreed to carry out a prisoner exchange by the end of the year, following extensive peace talks in Paris.

Martin Sajdik, the envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is tasked with monitoring truce agreements in eastern Ukraine, made the announcement in a statement on the OSCE website on Monday.

Sajdik said the agreement came during a video conference of the Contact Group — comprising Russian, Ukrainian, and OSCE representatives — with the participation of pro-Russia groups, who control large swathes of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine’s east.

Boris Gryzlov, who represents Russia in the Contact Group, also confirmed to reporters that the parties had managed to agree on “the necessary conditions” for the swap.

The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held their first face-to-face talks at a Paris summit this month and agreed to “commit to a full and comprehensive implementation” of a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine by the end of December and proceed with a new withdrawal of forces from conflict zones by March 2020.