Ukraine has announced a prisoner exchange on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.
While fighting continues on the Ukrainian front, particularly in Bakhmout, Russians and Ukrainians alike celebrated Orthodox Easter on Sunday 16 April. On this occasion, Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff announced the release of 130 Ukrainian prisoners of war over the previous days, reports the Guardian (in English). He did not specify how many Russians had gone the other way. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in religious holiday celebrations at a Moscow cathedral, and hailed the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, supporting the offensive, in “consolidate society”. Here is the other information to remember from this Sunday.
Lula suggests mediation with China and the United Arab Emirates
The President of Brazil arrived in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) after a visit to China. During a press conference, he claimed to have suggested to his counterparts in the two countries the creation of a group of states whose mission would be to act as mediators between Ukraine and Russia, “another type of G20 to end this war and establish peace”. He also assured that he had already discussed this idea with other leaders including Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden.
But he continued to dismiss kyiv and Moscow back-to-back: “President Putin takes no initiative to stop the war. (President Volodymyr) Zelensky of Ukraine takes no initiative to stop the war”said Lula. “Europe and the United States continue to contribute to the continuation of the war. So they must sit around the table and say: ‘Enough’.”
The G7 discusses the conflict
The heads of diplomacy from Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom are meeting in Karuizawa (Japan) on Sunday. They were to meet for discussions on Chinese pressure on Taiwan, but also on the Russian offensive in Ukraine. This type of meeting is usually followed by a joint press release, the wording of which will be scrutinized. Japan recently joined Western sanctions against Russia.
Chinese Defense Minister meets Putin
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was received at the Kremlin, where he met the Russian President on Sunday. “We have very strong ties, which go beyond the military-political alliances of the Cold War era” and are “very stable”he greeted at the end of this interview.
