Leonid Kuchma, Representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk, expects the next exchange of prisoners in Donbas to be held before March, as he told journalists, according to Ukrainian News.
“I think that today nobody can tell when exactly it will happen. The negotiations are very active. But it depends on many factors, and the main one is Russia’s position. If Russia says ‘yes’, there will be an exchange. You see what the situation’s like, including in Russia, when it comes to the lists (of those who are to be exchanged). It also has an influence, especially at the dawn of an election. Although I think, such a humanitarian act would be useful for the President of Russia. I believe there’ll be an exchange before March. I and everyone else should definitely hope so,” he said.
As we reported earlier, the exchange of prisoners took place in Donbas on Dec. 27. Then, 73 Ukrainians were released in exchange for 233 militants.