Those who still have certain levers of influence on Russia can contribute to the return of Ukrainian children and the release

The issue of release from Russian captivity of civilians of Ukraine is more difficult than exchanging prisoners of war, so in this process, our state is counting on the help of an international community that can force Russia to release Ukrainian prisoners. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told this during communication with media representatives on the occasion of the journalist. “We returned 2. 5 thousand people, of which about 370 children and about 150 civilians (adults. - Ed. ).

That is, 550 people out of 2500 are children and civilians. These are those who were able to return, ”the Head of State said. According to the President, the difficulty of returning from captivity of civilians is that Ukraine does not have the number of Russian civilians that can be exchanged for Ukrainian citizens, as is happening in the case of prisoners of war.

At the same time, he stressed that work in the direction of release of civilians from Russian captivity is ongoing - a separate track within the framework of the coordination headquarters on the management of prisoners of war. “There Lubinets is more civil. And now the Center for the return of our children has opened. There is a very powerful program. They have already returned more than 300 children. This is another track.

They are all one team, but these are different tracks, ”said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the President, the international partners of Ukraine are also involved in the process of liberation of Ukrainian prisoners. In particular, Turkey helps in the liberation of prisoners of war, and Saudi Arabia is also involved.

“From Turkey, they know that the issues of Crimean Tatars are on them… I spoke to them with a full -scale invasion, even when I had the first visit to Turkey, met Erdogan, and then I brought him a list of all Crimean political prisoners. Then updated. He has this list. He promised to help me. We will look at the result, ”the Head of State said. According to Vladimir Zelensky, those on whom something depends on Russia should be influenced by the release of civilian Ukrainians from captivity.

“Today was the Vatican representative from the Pope, I asked him to do children, to help in returning our children. I also spoke this topic with China. If they have any individual powerful economic relations with the Russian Federation, or religious or political relations - such people can influence the return of children and civilians, ”the President said.

He also believed that a potential powerful platform for the release of civilians from Russian captivity can be a Ukrainian formula of peace, within which, thanks to global pressure on the Russian Federation, you can achieve, for example, the exchange of prisoners in the format of "all", the return of all illegally deported Ukrainian children , civil or political prisoners. The head of state stressed that all humanitarian issues can be resolved when Russia is weaker.