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KYIV/Brussels — President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine and Russia were prepared to exchange captured military personnel this weekend, following an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv brokered in Turkey this week.
"The Russian side has passed on information that this weekend -- on Saturday and Sunday ,they will be able to transfer 500 people, 500 of our military," Zelensky told reporters including AFP journalists at a press conference in Kyiv.
"We will be ready to exchange the relevant number" of prisoners of war, he added.
Meanwhile the European Commission proposed Wednesday that Ukrainian refugees be allowed to stay in the EU another year to March 2027, while for the first time stating clearly that their protected status will at some point end.
Some 4.3 million Ukrainians are registered as refugees across the European Union, with Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic hosting the largest communities.
The 27-nation bloc granted Ukrainians temporary protections in the weeks after Moscow's February 2022 invasion of its neighbour, a measure rolled over several times and currently set to expire next March.
With Russian attacks continuing unabated and the situation in Ukraine still "volatile", the commission recommended that member states extend the right to stay for another year, until March 4, 2027.
But at the same time it called for them to begin "paving the way for a transition out of temporary protection once the necessary conditions are met", a formulation making no explicit reference to the end of the conflict.
"Since 2022 we have provided protection for those fleeing Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and we continue to do so," Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
"And together with Ukraine we pave the way for people to be able to return and rebuild their homes once it is safe."
People benefitting from temporary protection enjoy the same rights across the EU, including a residence permit, access to the labour market and housing, medical assistance, social welfare and access to education.
The commission's proposal, which is expected to be endorsed by member states at a meeting of EU home affairs ministers next week, spells out two main scenarios for Ukrainians once protections end:
One would be transitioning into other national or EU legal statuses, receiving residence permits based on employment, study or research activities.
Another would be a gradual reintegration in their home country, with "voluntary return" programmes set up by member states, and help for people to travel home on reconnaissance trips to assess the war damage.