Lubinets on forthcoming prisoner exchange: We are talking about at least 1,000 people
The large-scale exchange, agreed upon during negotiations in the UAE, is set to involve at least 1,000 people. Ukraine insists that the lists of those to be returned should include not only military personnel but also civilians unlawfully detained by the Russian side.
This was reported by Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, according to Censor.NET.
According to him, as soon as news emerged about the possibility of an exchange, he immediately contacted Yana Lantratova to discuss the practical arrangements for implementing it.
"In response, I received confirmation that the figure in question is at least 1,000 people. At the same time, efforts must continue to ensure that this figure is as high as possible. The Ukrainian side has also set out our position: those to be returned must include both prisoners of war and Ukrainian civilians who have been unlawfully detained," emphasised Lubinets.
What led up to it
It was previously reported that, following two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates, an agreement had been reached on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war. The details are currently being finalised, and preparations are under way for the practical implementation of the exchange.
- On 12 November, US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived at the Kremlin for talks with Putin following a trilateral meeting between the US, Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
- Following talks with Putin, they are expected to travel to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has travelled there for the European Political Community summit.
- On 11 November in Abu Dhabi, the two-day talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia came to an end, resulting in an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange. Following the trilateral meetings, the Ukrainian delegation held separate talks with European representatives who were also present in the UAE.
