MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Russia will be ready to submit to Ukraine draft proposals for a settlement as soon as the countries complete their exchange of prisoners of war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters.
"As soon as the exchange of prisoners of war is over, by that time we will be ready to hand over to the Ukrainian side a draft of this document, which the Russian side is now finalizing," he said.
According to the minister, Moscow is now putting together the document, which is part of the agreement that Russia and Ukraine reached at the recent talks in Turkey. Under the agreement, Ukraine has to come up with its own document. In these documents, each side will lay out conditions for achieving a sustainable, durable and comprehensive settlement deal.
"We are also committed to the agreement that was reached recently in Istanbul between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine. We are wrapping up our preparatory work to draw up a list for the exchange of prisoners of war, with 1,000 from each side," Lavrov said.
Russia and Ukraine held talks in Turkey on May 16, agreeing to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, present a vision of a possible ceasefire, spelling out details, and to continue communication. The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said Russia was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. He also said Ukraine had asked for direct talks between the leaders of the countries, and Russia took the request "under advisement."
On May 23, 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians, including non-combatants that Ukraine captured in Russia’s Kursk Region, were returned from the Kiev-controlled territory. In exchange, 270 Ukrainian prisoners of war and 120 civilians were given back. It is planned to swap more people in the coming days.