Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an exchange of 200 prisoners of war, mediated by Turkey, after diplomatic talks he held with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Erdogan said - in a statement to reporters at the Turkish House in New York - that the prisoner exchange process between Russia and Ukraine is an important step towards ending the war between the two countries.
Erdogan added that efforts to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine are continuing.
The Turkish president thanked his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts for providing the possibility for the prisoner exchange, and said: I would also like to thank all our colleagues who made an effort in this process.
Russia releases prisoners of war with Saudi mediation
In the same context, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said that Russia released today, Wednesday, 10 foreign prisoners of war in Ukraine, after mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The ministry explained - in a statement - that the list of prisoners includes citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Croatia and Morocco, and said that a plane carrying the prisoners landed in the Kingdom, adding that "the concerned authorities in the Kingdom have handed them over and transferred them from Russia to the Kingdom, and worked to facilitate the procedures for their return to the Kingdom." their countries".
The ministry did not specify the identity of these people, but the French Press Agency quoted a Saudi official as saying that among them were 5 Britons and Americans, in addition to one person each from Morocco, Croatia and Sweden.
Reuters said it did not immediately confirm whether the group of prisoners released included Britons Eden Aslin, Sean Benner and Moroccan-born Ibrahim Saadoun, who were arrested earlier this year and sentenced to death by a court in the Donetsk People's Republic. unilaterally declared independence, and is among those fighting on behalf of Russia in eastern Ukraine.
Turkey concerned about planned referendums in Ukrainian regions
On the other hand, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the referendums to be held in some Ukrainian regions under Russian control.
This came in a statement issued by the ministry, on Wednesday, in which it said, "We are concerned about efforts to hold unilateral referendums in parts of Ukraine under Russian control."
She added, "The international community will not recognize these illegal attempts to impose a fait accompli. On the contrary, it will make efforts to revive the diplomatic process difficult and cause deepening instability."
The ministry has renewed Turkey's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
She stressed Turkey's readiness to make any necessary contribution to stop the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war through peaceful negotiations.
On Tuesday, representatives of the Moscow-backed Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions announced their intention to hold referendums on joining Russia in the coming days.