UN welcomes Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap deal reached in Istanbul

The UN hopes that the recent talks in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv will lead to an unconditional ceasefire, said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.

“We hope that the talks that concluded in Istanbul could lead to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire as the first step towards a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and relevant UN resolutions,” Caliber.Az reports, citing the UN press service.

Dujarric added that the UN also “welcomes any agreement that will bring exchange of prisoners or exchange of remains of prisoners.”

To recall, on June 2, Russian and Ukrainian delegations convened in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict. Despite initial hopes, the discussions concluded in under two hours without achieving a ceasefire agreement. The only tangible outcome was a mutual agreement to exchange prisoners of war (PoWs) and repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers.

Both parties agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, including seriously wounded and young captives. An additional exchange involving 200 political prisoners and journalists was also agreed upon.

The conflicting parties also arrived at a consensus to return the bodies of 6,000 deceased soldiers to their respective countries.

A significant point of contention was Ukraine's call for the return of 339 children allegedly abducted during the conflict. Russia dismissed this appeal, agreeing to discuss the return of only ten children.

Ukraine proposed a 30-day ceasefire, supported by the United States, to de-escalate hostilities and pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement. However, Russia rejected this proposal, offering instead a limited three-day ceasefire solely to facilitate the PoW exchange. Moscow reiterated its demands for Ukraine's demilitarisation and the annexation of Russian-occupied territories as prerequisites for a broader truce.

By Khagan Isayev