The exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine was another proof of the willingness of the new ruling team in Kiev to move towards the implementation of the Minsk complex of measures. True, to a certain extent, the limits of which are established by the very nature of Ukrainian statehood. However, more on that later. The second stage of the exchange has already been announced, which is expected to be much more ambitious. As indicated in Donetsk, Ukraine continues to hold more than 250 people. Nothing is known about most of them at all - neither where are they located, nor are they accused of anything.

Vladimir Zelensky, as he promised during the election campaign, managed to get the Minsk process off the ground, which was completely paralyzed by the efforts of his predecessor. The divorce of troops near the Village of Lugansk, the dismantling of fortifications, the demining of the bridge by Ukrainian sappers - all this can be regarded (and regarded) as evidence of Kiev’s intentions to complete the hot phase of the civil conflict in Ukraine and consolidate the situation in a sustainable peace format.

Nevertheless, given the fact that the Ukrainian right-wing radicals accuse Zelensky of pro-Russian sympathies and the desire to please the Kremlin, the Ukrainian president managed to advance quite far. The threat of a new Maidan, which is much more bloody than in 2014, limits the freedom of its movements, but it continues to move in the chosen direction. The resumption of direct contacts between heads of state is also very significant. In the mode of personal communication, many issues can usually be solved promptly, going around all kinds of bureaucratic obstacles.

The release and exchange of Cyril Wyszynski gives hope that hundreds of prisoners accused under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason) will be able to wait in the long term for pardon and return home from places of detention. Among these people there are many Russian citizens who have received sentences for alleged crimes. For example, for work in Russian authorities. The above article, interpreted broadly, allows qualifying this as a grave violation of the law.

Actually, Vyshinsky also told reporters about a pregnant woman who was detained in a neighboring cell, who was detained in the Kherson region and accused of working in some organizational structures during the Crimean referendum. Nothing is known about the thousands of political cases and the sentences handed down under them under Petro Poroshenko. And these are specific people who received huge sentences and are serving sentences.

Two days ago, Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a telephone conversation agreed that there are prerequisites for a meeting in the Norman format.

This should be regarded as a breakthrough, since the meetings of the "Norman Four" at the level of heads of state have not been held for more than three years. The Russian president made it clear what exactly he expects from Vladimir Zelensky.

The Kremlin’s press service said: “In this context, attention is drawn to the need for Kiev to fulfill the agreements reached during previous summits in Paris and Berlin in 2015 and 2016, including the separation of forces and assets in the agreed sections of the contact line and consolidation in writing the Steinmeier formula. "

The plan of the former German Foreign Minister, dubbed the Stannmeier formula, makes it possible to advance on several more points of the Minsk complex of measures. This applies to the elections in Donbass and the recognition of their Ukraine as valid and legitimate. After that, the elected representatives of the two people's republics will have the opportunity to participate in the negotiation process on a legal basis recognized by the international community.

So far this is just a suggestion. Most likely, in full it will not be accepted by the Zelensky team. She will need to work out a compromise version of the agenda of the future summit, which would suit the rest of the guarantors of the Norman format. In any case, it is now quite obvious that the meeting will take place and any decisions at it will be agreed by all parties. And this means that some normalization of relations between Russia and Ukraine is already a fait accompli. True, this process cannot be too fast, since every step of the Ukrainian ruler is carefully monitored by nationalists who are ready at any moment to go out and organize another massacre.

The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.