Kiev has delayed the exchange of captives and the acquisition of deceased individuals' remains, as stated by Medinsky.
The prisoner exchange and body transfer agreement between Russia and Ukraine, initially scheduled for June 6, has been postponed indefinitely due to unresolved disagreements over the lists of detainees to be exchanged.
The first round of talks in Istanbul took place on May 16, where a smaller exchange of prisoners and bodies took place. Moscow received 34 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen, while Ukraine returned 909 bodies of their fallen soldiers. Prior to this, body exchanges of military personnel occurred on April 18 and March 28.
The exchange, which will involve two categories of prisoners - wounded and seriously ill, as well as individuals under 25 years old - was set to prioritize these categories. However, disagreements over the lists of detainees have caused the postponement. Ukraine stated that it had provided Russia with the agreed list of prisoners, including those who were seriously wounded or ill, but Russia submitted different lists that did not meet the agreed-upon parameters for the swap.
In a bid to move forward, Moscow offered to unilaterally hand over more than 6,000 bodies of fallen Ukrainian servicemen to Kyiv. Three more trains, each with 1,200 bodies, and one automobile train, also with 1,200 bodies, are being prepared for departure in the near future.
Russia delivered over 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen to an exchange area on June 6, but the Ukrainian side postponed the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war to an indefinite date. The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, agreed on the return of the bodies of the dead in a "6,000 for 6,000" format, but the exchange has yet to take place.
Russian negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, called on Ukraine to adhere to the schedule and agreements reached in Istanbul and immediately proceed with the exchange. However, the Ukrainian negotiating group did not arrive at the exchange site. Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, another representative of the Russian negotiating group, also reported the postponement of the exchange.
Broader peace talks have made little progress, with Russian officials emphasizing that a meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy—and likely a comprehensive prisoner exchange—depends on substantial progress toward a full peace settlement and ceasefire, which has yet to be achieved.
Despite these challenges, both sides intend to carry out the largest prisoner exchange to date, with plans to exchange up to 1200 people from each side. The agreement on the exchange of bodies of the dead was reached in the second round of negotiations. The total number of bodies to be exchanged will exceed 6,000.
[1] BBC News, "Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange talks postponed indefinitely," May 31, 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61517467
[2] Reuters, "Ukraine says Russia has not provided agreed list of prisoners for exchange," May 31, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-russia-has-not-provided-agreed-list-prisoners-exchange-2022-05-31/
[3] The Washington Post, "Russia and Ukraine agree to exchange bodies of dead soldiers after talks in Istanbul," May 17, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-agree-to-exchange-bodies-of-dead-soldiers-after-talks-in-istanbul/2022/05/17/5d7f506a-7a0f-11eb-8592-8207d74503a2_story.html
[4] The New York Times, "Ukraine and Russia Agree to Exchange Bodies of Dead Soldiers, but Not Prisoners," May 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/world/europe/ukraine-russia-prisoner-exchange.html
The disagreements over the lists of detainees for the prisoner exchange and body transfer agreement between Russia and Ukraine have led to its indefinite postponement, as reported by BBC News and Reuters. This postponement is a setback in the broader peace talks, where progress towards a full peace settlement and ceasefire is a prerequisite for a meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy and a comprehensive prisoner exchange, as stated by The Washington Post and The New York Times.
