Kremlin says it has been ready to hand over bodies of Ukrainian war dead for 'several days'
FILE PHOTO: The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building behind Spasskaya Tower in Moscow, Russia June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File photo
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has been ready to start handing over the corpses of Ukraine's war dead for several days with refrigerated trucks containing the first bodies parked near the border, but Kyiv is still discussing the details, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The two sides agreed to repatriate the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict during talks in Istanbul on June 2, which also resulted in an agreement to exchange prisoners of war, a process which got under way on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Moscow of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game" around the issue of the exchanges.
Russia has said it is ready to hand over the bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and receive any bodies of Russian soldiers which Kyiv is able to return.
But Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them.
Ukrainian officials responsible for the exchanges did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Asked about the issue on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia remained ready to return the bodies and was in talks with Kyiv on the subject, but did not yet know exactly how many bodies of Russian soldiers Ukraine was ready to hand over.
"There is no final understanding. Contact is being made, numbers are being compared. As soon as there is a final understanding, then we hope this exchange will take place," said Peskov.
"There is one indisputable fact here, which is that we have already been ready on the border for several days with those trailers that were mentioned to make the transfer to the Ukrainian side. This is a fact that everyone sees and knows."
Russian state media has broadcast images of long white refrigerated trucks containing the bodies which are sealed in individual white bags and are parked up near the border.
(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
Prabowo Hails Brics Entry, Reaffirms Indonesia's Non-aligned Stance
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, June 21 (Bernama) -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Friday reaffirmed his country's non-aligned foreign policy and praised its swift entry into the BRICS bloc, while setting out an ambitious economic strategy aimed at food security and inclusive growth. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), he thanked Russia, China, South Africa and Brazil for supporting Indonesia's admission into BRICS and the New Development Bank. bootstrap slideshow 'We were among the fastest to be accepted into BRICS,' he said at the forum, which was officiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Indonesia officially joined BRICS on Jan 6, 2025, a group made up of five major developing countries namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Prabowo voiced strong support for a shift towards a multipolar global order, saying 'the era of unipolar dominance has passed', and praised Russia and China for 'consistently defending the oppressed and fighting for justice'. He also dismissed speculation over his absence from the G7 summit in Canada, saying he had already committed to the Russian forum. 'It's not a political message. Indonesia remains non-aligned,' he said, in remarks broadcast online by the Presidential Secretariat. Prabowo also expressed concern over rising global tensions, particularly in the Middle East, and called for peaceful resolutions.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Japan scraps US meeting after Washington demands more defence spending
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba gives his opening speech at the beginning of the meeting with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth at his office in Tokyo, in March. - Photo: Reuters WASHINGTON: Japan has canceled a regular high-level meeting with its key ally the United States after the Trump administration demanded it spend more on defence, the Financial Times reported on Friday (June 20). US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had been expected to meet their Japanese counterparts in Washington on July 1 for annual 2+2 security talks. But Tokyo scrapped the meeting after the United States' side asked Japan to boost defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, higher than an earlier request of 3 per cent, the paper cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, including two officials in Tokyo, as saying. A US official who did not want to be identified confirmed Japan had "postponed" the talks but said the decision was made several weeks ago. The source did not cite a reason. A non-government source familiar with the issue said he had also heard Japan had pulled out of the meeting, but not the reason for it doing so. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said she had no comment on the FT report when asked about it at regular briefing, and the Pentagon also had no immediate comment. Japan's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times said the new higher spending demand was made in recent weeks by Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, who has also recently upset another key US ally in the Indo-Pacific by launching a review of a project to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. In March, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that other nations do not decide Japan's defence budget after Colby called in his nomination hearing to be under secretary of defense for policy for Tokyo to spend more to counter China. Japan and other US allies have been engaged in difficult trade talks with the United States over US President Donald Trump's worldwide tariff offensive. The FT said the decision to cancel the July 1 meeting was also related to Japan's July 20 Upper House elections, at which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to suffer a loss of seats. It comes ahead of a meeting of the US-led NATO alliance in Europe next week, at which Trump is expected to press his demand that European allies boost their defence spending to 5 percent of GDP. - Reuters
Malaysian Reserve
2 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Prabowo hails BRICS entry, reaffirms Indonesia's non-aligned stance
INDONESIAN President Prabowo Subianto on Friday reaffirmed his country's non-aligned foreign policy and praised its swift entry into the BRICS bloc, while setting out an ambitious economic strategy aimed at food security and inclusive growth. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), he thanked Russia, China, South Africa and Brazil for supporting Indonesia's admission into BRICS and the New Development Bank. 'We were among the fastest to be accepted into BRICS,' he said at the forum, which was officiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Indonesia officially joined BRICS on Jan 6, 2025, a group made up of five major developing countries namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Prabowo voiced strong support for a shift towards a multipolar global order, saying 'the era of unipolar dominance has passed', and praised Russia and China for 'consistently defending the oppressed and fighting for justice'. He also dismissed speculation over his absence from the G7 summit in Canada, saying he had already committed to the Russian forum. 'It's not a political message. Indonesia remains non-aligned,' he said, in remarks broadcast online by the Presidential Secretariat. Prabowo also expressed concern over rising global tensions, particularly in the Middle East, and called for peaceful resolutions. Turning to domestic policy, he said Indonesia is on course for strong economic growth and food self-sufficiency, citing a 'middle way' approach that blends market-led innovation with government intervention. He criticised decades of neoliberal policies, saying they failed to deliver equitable development, and he now aims at achieving 'the greatest good for the greatest many.' 'In the past 30 years, Indonesian elites followed the free-market ideology, but we failed to create a level playing field. Wealth remained concentrated in the hands of less than one per cent,' Prabowo said. Since taking office in October 2024, he said rice and corn production has grown by 50 per cent, rice stocks reached a record 4.4 million tonnes, and the economy should grow almost seven per cent by the end of the year. Key reforms include deregulation, anti-corruption measures, and the creation of Danantara, a new sovereign wealth fund to attract investment and safeguard national assets. Prabowo welcomed deeper Russian investment ties and noted the role of his brother, businessman and philanthropist Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who now serves as a special envoy for housing and investment. The forum appearance came a day after he and Putin witnessed the signing of new cooperation agreements in education, transport, digital development, and investment, marking 75 years of diplomatic ties. At a joint press conference, the two leaders said the agreements reflect a shared commitment to deepening cooperation across sectors and a common perspective on global affairs. 'We respect the sovereignty of all nations, seek peaceful solutions to all problems, and always prefer collaboration over conflict,' Prabowo said. Putin noted that both countries hold 'very similar or almost identical' views on global issues, adding: 'We defend sovereignty, support peaceful development in the Asia-Pacific, and coordinate closely at the United Nations and other forums.' — BERNAMA
