Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Russian, Ukrainian Leaders Talk at Last

Charles Maynes

   MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian
   counterpart, VolodymyrZelenskiy, on Friday held their first talks since
   the election of the Ukraine president last April -- a 20-minute phone
   call noteworthy for its implications regarding efforts to end the
   simmering war between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's
   east.
   Kremlin spokesman DmitryPeskovwas quick to point out that Ukraine had
   initiated the call, in whichZelenskiyand Putin discussed a stalled
   peace agreement for Ukraine's Donbas region, as well as the possibility
   of prisoner exchanges "from both sides."
   A Ukrainian presidential spokesman was even more expansive,
   sayingZelenskiyhad raised the issue of an exchange for 24 Ukrainian
   sailors captured at sea by Russia last November.
   Russia is holding dozens of Ukrainian citizens whom human rights groups
   have labeled prisoners of conscience. Ukraine also has sentenced
   several Russians to lengthy prison sentences for joining with armed
   Moscow-backed separatists fighting in Ukraine's east.
   New president, new rules
   The election ofZelenskiy, an actor with no prior political experience,
   but who played the role of Ukraine's president in a popular television
   sitcom, seemed initially to offer hope for progress toward resolving
   the Ukraine conflict.

.