Donetsk, Feb 17 - DAN. Ukrainian negotiators have turned the sessions of the Minsk subgroup on humanitarian issues into “groundhog day” over a year, Donetsk People’s Republic ombudswoman, DPR representative in the humanitarian subgroup Darya Morozova told the Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.
The subgroup’s videoconference on Tuesday addressed completion of the procedure to drop charges against 50 participants in the prisoner exchange of 2019-2020. Kiev has provided no new information, according to Morozova.
“The humanitarian subgroup’s meetings turned into “groundhog day” because of the position taken by Ukraine. We ask our opponents the same question at every session: How’s it going with the dropping of charges?” In response, Kiev has been telling us the same story for a year already. They say that the petitions and materials concerning ten persons approved by the Commission on pardons under the Ukrainian president are in the office of the president awaiting his signature,” she said.
“At the same time, it is perfectly clear that to pardon the above ten people Ukrainian authorities lack the only thing, namely political will. If Kiev is willing, nothing can prevent it from dropping prosecution against the other persons,” Morozova said.
The matter in question concerns two stages of the prisoner exchanges that took place in December 2019 and April 2020. Back then, Ukraine handed over 71 people to Donetsk. According to the ombudswoman’s information, Kiev has not yet fulfilled the obligation to drop charges against 50 people. In this connection, the prisoner exchange is regarded as unfinished, which prevents the discussion of new prisoner swaps.*jk