Zelensky: Prisoner exchange delayed as lists from occupied territories not provided yet

"The logic here is very simple. We agreed that both parties should submit lists. We have submitted a list, but the other party has not yet submitted theirs. They started saying that they do not know where some people are, and their identities should be verified by representatives of the Red Cross," President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said during a working trip to Chernivtsi region on October 2, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

According to Zelensky, it is currently expected that representatives of the Red Cross will be given access to the occupied territories. After that, the issue of prisoner exchange may get under way.

"At the last meeting of the advisers to leaders of the Normandy format countries, Andriy Yermak reached an agreement that the Red Cross would be given access to the temporarily occupied territory. As soon as this happens, the exchange will be held. But there is no specific date yet. We all are waiting for it," the President added.

On September 30, a regular meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) was held via video conference with the participation of Ukrainian and Russian delegations and moderated by the OSCE. Head of the Ukrainian delegation Leonid Kravchuk called on Russia’s representative Boris Gryzlov "not to block the negotiation process and to focus on the issues which the Ukrainian citizens are interested in."

Later, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, said that discussion in the Trilateral Contact Group of issues related to the mutual release and exchange of conflict-related detainees had not brought results.

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