Russia: Turkiye violated prisoner deal by allowing Ukraine prisoners to go home

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not seen) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a joint news conference after their meeting at Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul, Turkiye on July 08, 2023 [Arif Hüdaverdi Yaman – Anadolu Agency]

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has returned home from a visit to Turkiye, with five commanders of Ukraine’s former garrison in Mariupol, a move Russia said violated the terms of a prisoner exchange deal engineered last year, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Saturday that Ankara had promised under the exchange agreement to keep the men in Turkiye and complained that Moscow had not been informed of the move.

Zelenskyy, on Saturday, posted a one-minute video showing himself and other officials shaking hands and hugging the smiling commanders before they boarded a Czech aeroplane together.

“We are returning home from Turkiye and bringing our heroes home,” said Zelenskyy, who met Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for talks in Istanbul on Friday.

READ: Does Sweden provoke Turkiye to avoid joining NATO?

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