Donetsk, Dec 2 – DAN. DPR hopes to swap prisoners with Kiev by the end of the year, said DPR delegation to Minsk negotiations head Denis Pushilin.
"I have high hopes for the possibility (to exchange prisoners by Dec. 24 – edit. DAN). We have been negotiating it for a long time, Ukrainian side hampers the process. Usually they display interest ahead of holidays," he said.
"There is support from Europe, so I hope Ukraine wouldn't put spokes in the wheel when it comes to detainees swap. And if the exchange would be at least partial, if it is difficult to talk about 'all for all' basis in terms of organizing it."
Pushilin said it is possible that a large number of detainees will come back home to DPR before the New Year.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin held talks in Minsk, Belarus, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, intended to revive shaky peace process in Donbass. After the talks Steinmeier said the sides managed to agree to hold a large-scale prisoners swap before Christmas (before 25th of December).