MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. The reason behind Ukraine’s delay in the exchange of the bodies of soldiers and prisoners of war remains unknown, Colonel General Alexander Fomin, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense said.
"Thus far, no consent has been received from Kiev to carry out the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group have not arrived at the designated meeting point. We are unaware of the reason for the delay in these procedures," he said.
Fomin stressed that in its discussions with the Ukrainian side regarding the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies of fallen soldiers, Russia consistently emphasized its readiness to address these matters as a priority.
He recalled that during two rounds of negotiations held in Istanbul in May and June of this year, the Russian delegation initiated the discussion of humanitarian issues with the Ukrainian side. According to him, the talks were productive and led to specific agreements.
"As you known, following the first meeting, both sides successfully carried out a large-scale exchange of prisoners and civilians based on the ‘1,000-for-1,000’ formula. On June 2, an agreement was also reached in Istanbul on humanitarian matters. It included the transfer to Kiev of the bodies of deceased servicemen, the repatriation of severely wounded and ill individuals, and the exchange of prisoners of war under the age of 25. I would like to stress that throughout discussions on this issue with the Ukrainian delegation, we consistently highlighted our readiness to resolve these matters as a matter of priority and with maximum efficiency," he stated.
The Russian delegation submitted its proposals on the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies of the deceased to Kiev well in advance and dispatched personnel to the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, he added.
"Upon returning to Moscow, we immediately began preparations for the transfer of the bodies of the deceased and the exchange of prisoners. Our proposals on this matter were conveyed to the Ukrainian side in advance, and we were prepared to begin the transfer of the bodies as early as this week," he said.
Fomin specified that members of the Russian contact group were sent to the Belarusian-Ukrainian border "to coordinate all technical matters on the ground."
Russia expects that the Ukrainian authorities will make the necessary decisions regarding the exchange process in the near future, Colonel General Alexander Fomin, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Defense said.
"We hope that the Ukrainian authorities will be able to make the necessary decisions shortly. For our part, we reaffirm our readiness to fulfill all existing agreements, as the Russian side has consistently done," he said.