Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about concerns over the treatment of prisoners of war by Russia.
“I talked about increasing defense support for Ukraine and ensuring global food security. I raised the issue of compliance with Russian international law in the treatment of prisoners of war. “I stressed the importance of decisions on Ukraine’s integration into the European Union,” Zelensky said in a Twitter post on June 8.
Had a phone conversation with @OlafScholz. Discussed enhancing defense support for ?? & ensuring global food security. Raised the issue of RF's compliance with international rules of treatment of war prisoners. Stressed the importance of decisions on the integration of ?? in ??.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 8, 2022
Zelensky did not provide further details on the conversation.
Russian state media TASS reported on June 7 that over 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered in the port city of Mariupol are now being held on Russian territory and are being investigated.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russia has blocked Ukrainian ports, preventing thousands of tons of grain from being exported from Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain producers. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of stealing grain stocks from Ukraine and sending them to Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is staying in Turkey for talks on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine.
