The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Attempting to resolve the conflict: Prisoner exchange deal between Ukraine and separatists - Walla! news

2019-12-29T21:14:13.115Z


After the Kiev government reached an agreement with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country, dozens of prisoners were released in an attempt to end the war between them since 2014. On the other hand, not all are satisfied ...


In an attempt to resolve the conflict: a prisoner exchange deal between Ukraine and separatists

After the Kiev government reached an agreement with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country, dozens of prisoners were released in an attempt to end the war between them since 2014. On the other hand, not everyone is satisfied with the approaching relationship. "Conflict is more likely to remain frozen than resolved"

In an attempt to resolve the conflict: a prisoner exchange deal between Ukraine and separatists

Photo: Reuters, edited by Tal Resnik

Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine completed a prisoner exchange deal between them on Sunday, as buses passed at the prisoner exchange point in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zalansky is likely to welcome the deal, as proof that he is able to return the Ukrainian prisoners home. On the other hand, some residents of Ukraine are unhappy that some of the inmates who were released took part in the shootings of protesters against former Pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The Ukrainian President's Office said 76 former detainees had returned to their homes. The bureau's statement states that the prisoners are "safe in Ukraine-controlled territory." The prisoner exchange deal carried out at the checkpoint near the town of Horleiwka in the Donetsk region was supposed to include 87 prisoners from the pro-Russian separatist ranks, in exchange for 55 Ukrainians.

More in Walla! NEWS

Without a breakthrough: Putin and Zalanski first meet and discuss war in Ukraine before the summit: Russia returned to Ukraine a year ago that took over secret talks reveal a direct Russian connection to dropping the plane in Ukraine disappointed with your sex life? There is a natural solution with no side effects to promoted content

Separate forces in eastern Ukraine, in the background of the liberated Ukrainian prisoners (Photo: Reuters)

Pro-Russian separatists during prisoner exchange deal, December 29, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

The deal began early in the morning, when Ukrainian men and women, dressed in civilian clothes, got off the buses at the meeting point to which they were transported by separatists, and then transferred to a nearby tent. Although the prisoner exchange agreement is supposed to help build trust between the parties, serious disagreements still remain and the long road to full normalization remains.

"The exchange of prisoners in the Donbas region will bring relief to prisoners and their families, but it will not bring the peace agreement closer," wrote Dmitry Tarnin, a social scientist and former senior officer in the Russian military. "Conditions in Kiev remain problematic and this will not change. The conflict is more likely to remain frozen than resolved."

Russian and Ukrainian presidents prepared the ground for the prisoners' exchange at a summit in Paris earlier this month. This is after Ukrainian forces have been fighting separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 deaths. Ukraine-Russia relations collapsed after Moscow annexed the Crimea in 2014, and subsequently supported separatists in eastern Ukraine.

More in Walla! NEWS More in Walla! NEWS

Hamas: Authority aids Israel in eliminating senior Islamic Jihad Abu al-Atta

To the full article

Ukrainian army soldiers during prisoner exchange deal (Photo: Reuters)

Ukrainian military forces during prisoner exchange deal, December 29, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

A number of prisoner exchange deals have already been carried out between the government in Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern state. In the last exchange, held in December 2017, Ukraine delivered about 300 prisoners in exchange for about 70 separatists.

Ukraine's current president, Volodymyr Zalansky, who won the April election, promised to end the conflict in the eastern state. Zalansky's recent actions led to cautious optimism after widespread criticism of his plan to grant special status to the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine to help end the five-year conflict.

Last September, after closer negotiations, Russia and Ukraine exchanged dozens of prisoners, a move that has earned acclaim in the West. Relations between the countries have also shown signs of improvement in other regions, including the gas sector, where Kiev and Moscow are discussing a new gas transfer contract between the countries. In the past, Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of using fuel supplies to exert pressure on it, but last week the parties managed to agree on the main points of the new deal.

Prisoners get off bus during exchange (Photo: Reuters)

Prisoner exchange deal between Russia and Ukraine, December 29, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Source: walla

All news articles on 2019-12-29

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.