Kyiv in talks over next detainee exchange after overcoming COVID-19 – president

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference on the first year of his term on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We are holding talks with the Russian Federation about a possible exchange after COVID-19. Honestly, I want us, despite COVID-19, to talk about the return of our political prisoners who are held in Russia or in prisons of Crimea," the president said.

He added that Ukraine had rebooted the Minsk Group and thus “added status” to the Minsk process.

"We managed to prove that the people, who are representatives of the "LPR / DPR" who have been present at meetings of the Minsk Group for six years and who have Russian passports, must not be there," Zelensky said.

He stressed that at the Minsk talks, Ukraine can speak only with representatives of the temporarily occupied territories, who are citizens of Ukraine.

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