The day after the United States held a prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine called on Russia to return “all prisoners of war and deportees” being held in their country for safe return.
The comments came amid a late-night speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the safe return of his Ukrainian citizens was paramount to a peace deal.
“Let me remind you that the peace formula consists of ten points: from nuclear security to the restoration of the territorial integrity of our state, from energy security to the return of all prisoners of war and deportees who are on the territory of Russia,” Zelenskyy said on Friday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital kyiv on November 19, 2022.
(Ukrainian Presidency via Getty Images)
He added: “This is now one of the key tasks of our state – to involve the world in the concrete implementation of the points of the peace formula. We must return the Ukrainian flag to all cities and communities of Ukraine, we must ensure true responsibility of the terrorist state for this war, and we must ensure the safety of all generations of Ukrainians after the end of this war.”
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In his remarks, Zelenskyy said he was asking the world to remain involved in the peace-seeking process as his country seeks to reach an agreement that is “real” and “reliable.”
“Today a conference was held in Kiev, which continued the line of events in our country and in Europe that took place this week and last week, during which we worked out solutions for the sake of justice, for the sake of doing that Russia be held accountable, and in order to seek formats for the liberation of our people, who are captive of the occupiers,” he said.
“We feel the support of both states and international organizations and human rights institutions. We look forward to announcing specific details in the near future,” Zelenskyy added.
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky shows a screen projection during the 104th session of the Congress of Mayors organized by the “Association of Mayors of France” (AMF), in Paris on November 22, 2022.
(ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian leader said he was also looking forward to the day when Ukraine can celebrate the victory over Russia.
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A victory remains to be seen, as the war, which began when Russian forces first invaded Ukraine on February 24 of this year, looks set to stretch into the winter season.
Russia continues to shell the eastern front line and has completely leveled some cities, Zelenskyy said.
“The frontline situation remains very difficult in the key areas of Donbas: Bakhmut, Soledar, Maryinka, Kreminna,” he said. “There is no place left to live on the land of these areas that has not been damaged by shells and fire. The occupiers actually destroyed Bakhmut.”
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Russia has also recruited additional troops and stepped up its verbal threats against Ukraine and the world as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he might launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes.
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The attacks, he said, would come if the United States did not stop providing weapons to Ukraine, especially if these weapons were used on Russian soil.
On Thursday, President Biden announced that the United States had agreed to a prisoner exchange, freeing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner. He touched down in San Antonio, Texas, early Friday morning.
US officials have said their lines of communication remain open with Moscow and additional prisoner exchanges could be agreed upon.
