Russia ready to give Ukraine draft document stating conditions for conflict settlement after prisoner swap- Lavrov

MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - Moscow will be ready to give Kiev a draft document stating the conditions for achieving a lasting, comprehensive agreement on settlement immediately after the prisoner swap is completed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"We are actively working on the second part of the agreement, which envisages preparation by each side of a draft document stating the conditions for achieving a lasting, comprehensive agreement on settlement. As soon as the prisoner swap is completed, by that time we will be ready to give the Ukrainian side a draft version of such document, on which the Russian side is now completing work," Lavrov told reporters.

The Russian side "is now completing the preparations to make a list for a prisoner swap according to the '1,000 for 1,000' principle," he said.

The Russian side remains "committed and the agreements that have recently been reached in Istanbul by the delegations of Russia and Ukraine, the minister said. Moscow will continue working in keeping with the reached agreements "despite any provocations," he said.

Lavrov also said Moscow "remains committed to peaceful settlement" and "is always open to negotiations."

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Friday Russia and Ukraine had exchanged prisoners-of-war and civilians.

Two hundred seventy Russian servicemen and 120 civilians were returned from Ukrainian captivity, the ministry said. They were exchanged for 270 Ukrainian servicemen and 120 civilians.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said Moscow and Kiev will continue the large-scale prisoner swap in keeping with the agreements reached by the sides in Istanbul.