Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, supported Pope Francis’s initiative regarding exchanging prisoners of war. Earlier, the Pontiff proposed to Ukraine and Russia to release prisoners based on the principle of “all for all.”
“I fully support this. Let’s do it. There is only one small thing left: to convince Russia,” Budanov said in an interview with the German TV channel ARD.
The chief of Ukrainian intelligence is convinced that Russia is not interested in such an exchange. Additionally, Budanov reported that Türkiye is no longer serves as the central mediator of exchange of prisoners of war. The United Arab Emirates currently acts as an intermediary.
The leader of the Catholic Church proposed the initiative of the “all for all” exchange during his Easter speech. “Calling for respect for the principles of international law, I express my hope for a general exchange of all prisoners between Russia and Ukraine: all for the sake of all,” said Pope Francis on March 31st.
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