On 19 December peace negotiations in Minsk took place.
The Ukrainian side continues to sabotage the POWs exchange process, making unjustified demands again and again. Such a destructive position, as well as the light-minded attitude of the official representatives of Kiev, who allow themselves to ignore or to be late for meetings of the Humanitarian Subgroup for several months, does not contribute to the speedy release of the prisoners.
We have been waiting for the official position of the Ukrainian side for almost a year. Our opponents only responded in December. Thus, we can conclude that Kiev is not interested in releasing people, but uses the exchange for political reasons, making highlight declarations before the upcoming presidential elections.
The position of the Donetsk People’s Republic on prisoner exchange remains principled and immutable. In accordance with Minsk Negotiations, we insist that all persons who have been confirmed and included in the exchange list be released. It has become painfully obvious that the fate of Ukrainian citizens is of no interest to Ukrainian officials, and they are not going to show the political will to hold the exchange before the end of the year.
