UAE says succeeded in mediating exchange of 180 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday celebrated the return of 90 prisoners of war from Russian captivity. (@ZelenskyyUa)
Short Url
Updated 25 June 2024
Follow

UAE says succeeded in mediating exchange of 180 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine

  • UAE foreign affairs ministry expressed its appreciation to the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation in making the exchange process a success

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said it has succeeded in mediating an exchange of 180 prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine, Emirates News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The country’s foreign affairs ministry emphasized that the success of the latest mediation, the fifth since the beginning of this year, is the outcome of the UAE leveraging its distinct ties and partnership with both sides.

The ministry expressed its appreciation to the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation in making the exchange process a success.

It affirmed the UAE’s commitment to continuing efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The ministry stressed the importance of resorting to dialogue, de-escalation, and diplomacy to resolve the conflict and mitigate the humanitarian repercussions resulting from it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday confirmed the return of 90 prisoners of war from Russian captivity.

Russia’s defense ministry also acknowledged the swap saying: “As a result of negotiations, 90 Russian prisoners of war who risked death in captivity are being returned from areas under Kyiv’s control.

“In exchange, 90 prisoners from the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over,” the ministry said.


Israeli military says its forces shot dead Palestinian rock-thrower in West Bank

Updated 21 min 12 sec ago
Follow

Israeli military says its forces shot dead Palestinian rock-thrower in West Bank

  • Palestinian Red Crescent said one person had been killed and one wounded in the incident
  • Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have risen sharply, while military has tightened movement restrictions and carried out sweeping raids in several citie

RAMALLAH: Israeli soldiers shot at three Palestinians who were throwing rocks at cars in the occupied West Bank on Sunday and killed one of them, the Israeli military said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said one person had been killed and one wounded in the incident. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials. The Israeli military said that apart from the fatality, one other person was “neutralized” and one arrested.
A day earlier, Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian teenager who was driving a car toward them as well as a bystander at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron.
The military initially said two “terrorists” were killed after soldiers opened fire at a car accelerating toward them, before later clarifying that only one was involved.
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a 17-year-old was driving the car and that a 55-year-old bystander was the second person killed.
Palestinian state news agency WAFA reported that 55-year-old Ziad Naim Abu Dawood, a municipal street cleaner, was killed while working. It said another Palestinian was killed but did not report the circumstances that led the soldiers to open fire.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the teen as 17-year-old Ahmed Khalil Al-Rajabi.
The military did not report any injuries to the soldiers.
Violence has surged this year in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians have risen sharply, while the military has tightened movement restrictions and carried out sweeping raids in several cities.
Since January, 51 Palestinian minors, aged under 18, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Palestinians have also carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, some of them deadly.