Russia expects that the Ukrainian authorities will soon be able to take the necessary decisions for the exchange of prisoners of war and the transfer of the bodies of killed Ukrainian servicemen, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

“To date, Kyiv has not given its consent to conduct the humanitarian operations. Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay,” the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.

Ukraine denied Russian allegations earlier on Saturday that it had indefinitely postponed prisoner swaps.