The exchange of detainees under the "10 for 10" or "15 for 15" scheme could be evidence of the desire of the other party to begin the process of de-escalating the conflict in Donbas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said this at a meeting with Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble as part of his official visit to Germany on June 18, the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state reported.
"During the meeting, the issues of ending the war and returning the captives were discussed. Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the exchange of people at least 10 for 10 or 15 for 15 could indicate the desire of the other party to begin the process of de-escalation," the report reads.
The president also said that Ukraine was already starting a project to rebuild Donbas.
"And Europe can help us here. We need to rebuild schools, kindergartens, roads," Zelensky said.
The head of state also spoke about the first legislative initiatives that he wants to implement after a new parliament is elected. In particular, the issue concerns the launch of the High Anti-Corruption Court, the adoption of laws on liability for illegal enrichment, the president's impeachment, and the abolition of parliamentary immunity.
"These are initiatives that Ukrainians have been dreaming of for 28 years," the president said.
Ukraine's former representative in the Trilateral Contact Group on the peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas, Yevhen Marchuk, said on May 22 that the Russian side announced that it had established the whereabouts of only 27 persons from a list of 107 persons submitted by Ukraine as part of the "all for all" detainee exchange initiative.
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