On Wednesday evening, Russian president Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky, the leaders of separatist republics in Ukraine’s Donbas.
The discussion focused on the initiative put forward by Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of pro-Russian movement Ukrainian Choice – People’s Right, on a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Donetsk and Luhansk, the Kremlin press service reports. The leaders of the unrecognised republics supported the initiative and noted that the issue had to be discussed with representatives from the Ukrainian side.
Notably, it is the first time that the Kremlin has officially reported about Putin’s conversation with Donetsk and Luhansk militants.
On November 15, during Putin’s visit to the Voskresensky New Jerusalem Monastery, Medvedchuk asked him to support the proposal on a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics.
In turn, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) stated that they would welcome ‘any steps’ towards unblocking the process of releasing ‘hostages’, but stressed that there should not be any PR stunts in solving the issue.
Служба безпеки України вітає будь-які ініціативи, спрямовані на розблокування процесу звільнення заручниківСлужба…
Opublikowany przez Служба безпеки України Środa, 15 listopada 2017
ІІ, belsat.eu
