“All Prisoners, Children, Civilians Who Were Unlawfully Detained Must Be Returned to Ukraine”: Zelenskyy

Berne: After the conclusion of a peace summit in Switzerland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all prisoners of war including children and civilians who were unlawfully displaced and detained must be returned to Ukraine. A two-day summit in Switzerland, aimed at establishing a path to end the war in Ukraine, concluded with major powers rejecting a joint communique that was supported by over 80 other countries and international organizations. “All prisoners of war must be released by complete exchange. All deported and unlawfully displaced Ukrainian children, and all other Ukrainian civilians who were unlawfully detained, must be returned to Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a press conference after the summit, news agency ANI reported.

Further, the Ukrainian President also stated that nuclear facilities must be safe and its nuclear plants, including Zaporizhzhia, must be under Ukraine’s control. Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the war is unacceptable.

“Any use of nuclear energy and nuclear installations must be safe, secured, safe-guarded and environmentally sound. Ukrainian nuclear power plants and installations, including Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, must operate safely and securely under full sovereign control of Ukraine, in line with IAEA principles and under its supervision. Any threat or use of nuclear weapons in the context of the ongoing war against Ukraine is inadmissible,” said Zelenskyy on Sunday, ANI reported.

Ukraine condemned attacks on merchant ships in the Black and Azov Seas and on civilian port infrastructure, stating they are “unacceptable.” The Ukrainian representative also emphasized that food security should not be used as a weapon in the war.

“Global food security depends on uninterrupted manufacturing and supply of food products. In this regard, free, full and safe commercial navigation, as well as access to sea ports in the Black and Azov Seas, are critical. Attacks on merchant ships in ports and along the entire route, as well as against civilian ports and civilian port infrastructure, are unacceptable,” added the Ukrianian president.

“Food security must not be weaponized in any way. Ukrainian agricultural products should be securely and freely provided to interested third countries,” he further added. In addition, Ukraine believed that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties, he said. “We, therefore, decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties,” added Zelenskyy.