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MINSK, 27 May (BelTA) – The exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine contributes to de-escalation in the region, member of the House of Representatives Sergei Klishevich told BelTA.
“After Russia’s Il-76 carrying Ukrainian POWs to the prisoner exchange was shot down in Belgorod Oblast in the winter of 2024, a search for a safer route away from the area of hostilities was started. Belarus is a perfect place in terms of logistics, efficiency, costs and the closeness to the borders of the two states. And we see that almost all POW exchanges in recent months have been successfully carried out on the ground, using buses as a means of transportation. Belarus, as a participant and organizer of the process, has repeatedly proven that it can guarantee safety to all participants in the swap,” said Sergei Klishevich.
For our country, this is also a significant milestone in diplomacy, the MP noted. “After the transfer of large groups of prisoners of war, the negotiating process that started in Istanbul will be resumed. In particular, Kiev is expected to receive Russia’s memorandum on the end of the military conflict. Thus, Belarus, as before, is contributing to the peace process. It can be said that prisoner of war exchanges are becoming an additional factor in de-escalation,” said Sergei Klishevich.
“Belarus has already become a recognized donor of peace, a state that does its utmost to help resolve conflicts in our region, especially when it comes to our fraternal peoples. Without imposing ourselves as peacekeepers, we are ready to do everything so that children, wives, and mothers can see their fathers, husbands, and sons as soon as possible. The exchange of prisoners with our assistance gives hope that the Slavic peoples will be able to come to terms. Unfortunately, we have seen many times what Western ‘peacekeepers’ really want. Of course, it is nice that the contribution of Belarus is appreciated by the Russian Federation. The day before, Vladimir Putin thanked the Belarusian leader in a telephone conversation for the assistance with organizing the POW swap. That said, for Zelensky this is probably not an important event. And so far, Belarus has not received words of gratitude from Ukraine.”
“After Russia’s Il-76 carrying Ukrainian POWs to the prisoner exchange was shot down in Belgorod Oblast in the winter of 2024, a search for a safer route away from the area of hostilities was started. Belarus is a perfect place in terms of logistics, efficiency, costs and the closeness to the borders of the two states. And we see that almost all POW exchanges in recent months have been successfully carried out on the ground, using buses as a means of transportation. Belarus, as a participant and organizer of the process, has repeatedly proven that it can guarantee safety to all participants in the swap,” said Sergei Klishevich.
For our country, this is also a significant milestone in diplomacy, the MP noted. “After the transfer of large groups of prisoners of war, the negotiating process that started in Istanbul will be resumed. In particular, Kiev is expected to receive Russia’s memorandum on the end of the military conflict. Thus, Belarus, as before, is contributing to the peace process. It can be said that prisoner of war exchanges are becoming an additional factor in de-escalation,” said Sergei Klishevich.
“Belarus has already become a recognized donor of peace, a state that does its utmost to help resolve conflicts in our region, especially when it comes to our fraternal peoples. Without imposing ourselves as peacekeepers, we are ready to do everything so that children, wives, and mothers can see their fathers, husbands, and sons as soon as possible. The exchange of prisoners with our assistance gives hope that the Slavic peoples will be able to come to terms. Unfortunately, we have seen many times what Western ‘peacekeepers’ really want. Of course, it is nice that the contribution of Belarus is appreciated by the Russian Federation. The day before, Vladimir Putin thanked the Belarusian leader in a telephone conversation for the assistance with organizing the POW swap. That said, for Zelensky this is probably not an important event. And so far, Belarus has not received words of gratitude from Ukraine.”
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