UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2022) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told RIA Novosti that he hopes Russia and Ukraine will reach a broad agreement to resolve issues concerning prisoners of war.
"The exchange of prisoners of war is a positive thing, it reduces the sufferings of the prisoners themselves, the sufferings of their families. The position I have and I expressed is that the ideal would be to have 'all for all' exchange," Guterres said.
Asked if the UN is ready to facilitate such an exchange, Guterres said that normally the UN does not participate in the exchange of prisoners of war, as this is the responsibility of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
"We express our wish that Russia and Ukraine will be able to reach agreements as broad as possible in that regard," Guterres said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will not help facilitate exports of Russian ammonia if Moscow does not release Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin in a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed out that Russia grants the ICRC access to Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Kiev is not doing the same.
