Turkey releases Ukrainian commanders captivated by Russia
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on July 7 with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had arrived in Turkey. The main topic of the discussion was the release of Ukrainian commanders held captive by Russia.
In his recent trip to Turkey, Zelenskyy collected five previously imprisoned Azov battalion commanders, prompting confusion from Russia, which accused Ankara of walking back an agreement to keep them until the war’s end.
The commanders had been captured in the port city of Mariupol, Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency RIA that Turkey was supposed to keep the prisoners, according to an agreement forged between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey.
Erdogan announced on the same day that Putin is slated to visit Turkey to discuss the exporting of Ukrainian grain during the war.