“This should be the ultimate goal”: the Kremlin advocated an exchange with Ukraine in the format of “all for all”

Russia and Ukraine are working to carry out a large-scale exchange of held persons, said spokesman for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

" On the Russian side, it has long been noted that Russia would be happy to carry out the exchange of "all for all." That should be the ultimate goal, ”he said. “Certain work in this context continues.”

According to Peskov, the likelihood of such a move depends on the willingness of the two sides.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Pristayko on the air of the 1 + 1 television channel announced a “larger-scale” exchange than the one on September 7th.

“In the near future, and this is literally, I hope, next week we plan an even larger exchange,” he said.

The minister did not provide details.

35 to 35

Recall that the exchange of withheld persons between Russia and Ukraine in the 35 by 35 format took place on September 7 as a result of an agreement between President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky.

“This became possible thanks to the implementation of the agreements reached personally by the presidents of Russia and Ukraine. Unlike its predecessors, the new Zelensky administration has demonstrated a sound approach and willingness to compromise, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Among those who arrived from Kiev to Moscow, for example, the chief editor of RIA Novosti Ukraine Kirill Vyshinsky, who was detained in the spring of 2018 and accused of supporting the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass and treason. He spent more than a year under arrest, since the investigation could not prove his guilt - according to the journalist and the Russian authorities, the persecution was caused by political motives.

Russia returned 24 Ukrainian sailors to Ukraine, who, by order of the command in the fall of 2018, tried to break through the Russian border at the Kerch Strait and were detained. Moscow also released the director Oleg Sentsov, who was sentenced in Russia to 20 years in prison for terrorism and was serving his term in a colony.

According to Zelensky, the exchange was a “super difficult task”, to which many authorities were involved. The Kremlin called this an occasion for cautious optimism.

“We positively evaluate and welcome the exchange. Of course, it gives reason for cautious optimism in terms of continuing further work in line with the search for ways to normalize relations between Russia and Ukraine, the first. And of course, the main thing is to ensure conditions for the implementation of the Minsk agreements, ”said Peskov.

A similar assessment was given by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, noting that Zelensky played a decisive role.

“We must pay tribute to the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. As I understand it, he played a decisive role in the fact that the exchange took place. In fact, it slightly improved relations between Moscow and Kiev, ”the minister said in an interview with Kommersant.

“Requires painstaking work”

Talk about a second exchange began almost immediately after the first. So, on September 9, Zelensky’s assistant, Andrei Yermak, said that he was instructed to expedite work on this issue.

“The President has set a clear task for everyone so that all this happens very quickly. And maybe even with even faster dynamics, ”he said in an interview with Ukrainian Truth.

However, who could appear in it was not reported. As the Ukrainian ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova noted on the Gromadske TV channel, in order to make progress, “one must be silent”. Nevertheless, she admitted that the exchange will take place before the end of this year.

The Kremlin noted that such work is accompanied by lengthy negotiations, and therefore can be extended in time.

“This requires the start of a new process of exchange of opinions, very, very painstaking and probably stretched out over time,” said Peskov.

“There is an understanding that this process needs to be continued, especially in accordance with the Minsk agreements. At the same time, let us not forget that this recent exchange was preceded by enormous preparatory work, very scrupulous. Therefore, it would be premature to talk about the dates of the next exchange, but there is an understanding that this should be addressed, ”the presidential spokesman emphasized.