No Link Between Prisoner Exchange Talks and War in Ukraine, White House Says

There is no connection between prisoner exchange talks and the war in Ukraine, says White House Dmitry Usyk

Prisoner negotiations with Russia/Collage 24 Channel

A major prisoner exchange between the West and Russia took place in Ankara on August 1. The United States indicated that it had nothing to do with the negotiations on the war in Ukraine.

The corresponding statement was made at a briefing by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Prisoner exchange between Russia and the West

At the briefing, Sullivan was asked whether the prisoner negotiations could lay the foundation for discussions on the war in Ukraine. To this, the presidential adviser responded that the United States does not see a connection in this. According to him, these types of negotiations are in different planes.

The first is about the practical issue of implementing the exchange, the second is a much more complex issue, where the Ukrainians will play the main role, and the United States will consult with its partners to support them when they are ready to resort to such a diplomatic step, – Sullivan noted.

Ukraine has repeatedly insisted that it will not negotiate with Russia until it refuses to comply with the “peace formula” based on the UN Charter.

By the way, as part of the exchange, the United States exchanged 16 people, including 5 Germans and 7 Russian citizens, whom the White House called “political prisoners in their own country.” But 8 people were handed over to Moscow, including FSB officer Vadim Krasikov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany for the murder of a Chechen commander, and the Dultsev couple, who were imprisoned in Slovenia for espionage.