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No prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia scheduled for the moment, says expert

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Prystaiko stated that a new "large-scale" prisoner exchange was expected shortly

© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Ukraine and Russia are not planning any prisoner swaps at the moment, head of the Russian Center for Current Politics Alexei Chesnakov told TASS on Monday.

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Ukraine’s Zelensky played decisive role in detainee swap — Lavrov

"Vadim Prystaiko [Ukrainian Foreign Minister — TASS], may have meant something else. Consultations on the prisoner exchange are conducted not between Ukraine and Russia, but between Kiev and the republics of Donbass in the Minsk Contact Group," said the expert who is close to the process of negotiations on the settlement in Ukraine.

"Progress is indeed possible in this issue, but this exchange will hardly take place before a Normandy Four summit, as it involves too much coordination work and subtle aspects," he explained.

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Prystaiko stated that a new "large-scale" prisoner exchange was expected shortly. "You see, we have managed to exchange our people. Shortly, I hope that literally next week, we are planning an exchange of even a larger scale," he told a talk show on TSN TV channel.

On September 7, Russia and Ukraine swapped prisoners under the "35 for 35" formula.

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