Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said that Ukraine has agreed to resume the prisoner exchange process with Russia during recent consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. “As a result of these negotiations, the parties agreed to activate the Istanbul arrangements. This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians,” Umerov wrote on Facebook. Technical consultations will take place soon to finalise all procedural and organisational details, said Umerov, adding that Kiev aims to bring Ukrainians home from captivity by the winter holidays, Xinhua News Agency reported. Ukraine and Russia held three rounds of negotiations in Turkey in May, June and July, reaching the so-called Istanbul agreements on exchanging their captives and bodies of fallen soldiers. (IANS)
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