Volker hopes Moscow will agree to prisoner exchange

The US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has said he hopes that Russia will agree to the prisoner exchange and, if successful, it will be the result of direct engagement between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents.

Censor.NET reports citing his post on Twitter.

"I sincerely hope Moscow agrees to this prisoner exchange. It would be an important step to build confidence and reunite prisoners with their families," he wrote on Tuesday, July 16.

According to the US diplomat, if the exchange takes place, it will be "the result of direct engagement between Presidents [Volodymyr] Zelenskyi and [Vladimir] Putin."

Deputy Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Vadym Prystaiko said at a briefing on July 16 that diplomatic advisers of the Normandy format agreed on July 12 to swap a certain number of prisoners within a month.