Kyiv, Separatists Agree On Prisoner Exchange

Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists have reached an agreement on the exchange of all prisoners held by the two sides.

Talks aimed at ensuring a stable cease-fire between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels in eastern Ukraine were held in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on December 24.

They brought together representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the separatists, and international monitors.

Markiyan Lubkivsky, an adviser to the Ukrainian Security Service, said on December 25 that a deal on the terms of a prisoner swap involving 150 Ukrainian soldiers and 225 rebel fighters was the only tangible achievement of the talks.

The information was confirmed by two rebel leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Aleksandr Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky.

A second round of peace talks had been tentatively set for December 26, but it remained unclear if that would take place.

Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS, and AFP