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Russia suspends negotiations on prisoner swap with Ukraine – lawyer
Photo from UNIAN
Coordinator of a group of lawyers working for 24 Ukrainian sailors Nikolay Polozov says Russia has decided to suspend prisoner swap talks with Ukraine on Ukrainians illegally imprisoned in Russian territory and occupied Crimea.
Read alsoNext prisoner swap in Donbas to be held before Easter, Zelensky’s Office says
“The negotiation process on the transfer of Ukrainian political prisoners by the Russian side has been suspended for some reason. Now 120 Ukrainian political prisoners, including Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, expect these negotiations to be resumed and they will have a chance to return home,” he told a Ukrainian TV channel, 24 Channel reports.
Yet, Polozov said, Ukraine has managed to agree at the Minsk talks on the release of Ukrainians held by illegal armed formations in Russia-occupied Donbas. This was achieved despite the coronavirus epidemic and quarantine.
“As for me, it is also possible to remotely conduct some aspects of this dialogue with respect to Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia,” he added.
As UNIAN reported earlier, parties to the Donbas settlement negotiations through the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group on April 8 agreed on the mutual release of detainees. They have already confirmed lists for the pending swap and agreed on the date before Orthodox Easter marked on April 19 this year.
