24 Mar, 13:44

Putin thanks UAE president for assisting in prisoner exchanges

Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates has been assisting both sides in addressing humanitarian issues

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conversation with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed gratitude to Abu Dhabi for mediating prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kiev, the Kremlin press service reported.

"The Russian side expressed gratitude for the UAE’s active mediatory assistance in the implementation of prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine," the statement says.

Since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates has been assisting both sides in addressing humanitarian issues. Abu Dhabi is also actively involved in organizing prisoner exchanges.

According to the UAE Foreign Ministry, since the beginning of 2024, Abu Dhabi has facilitated 13 exchanges involving more than 3,200 prisoners of war. The latest significant exchange took place on March 19, when Moscow and Kiev handed over 175 prisoners to each other. Meanwhile, as a gesture of goodwill, Russia also transferred 22 severely wounded POWs in need of urgent medical care to Ukraine.

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