Minister Dr Rana urges her Ukrainian counterpart to release Nepali PoW

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, March 18: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in New Delhi today on the sidelines of the 10th edition of the Raisina Dialogue 2025 organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, India.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways for further strengthening Nepal-Ukraine relations and promoting cooperation.

Dr Rana urged Ukraine to facilitate the release and repatriation of seven Nepali citizens held as Prisoners of War (PoW) by Ukrainian soldiers, according to the secretariat of Foreign Minister Dr Rana.

According to her, although Nepal has no policy to allow its citizens to join the Russian army, it was later learned that Nepalis were recruited into the Russian army through human traffickers.

In response, Ukrainian Minister Sybiha expressed his commitment to release the Nepali prisoners of war after completing the necessary legal process.

Similarly, Dr Rana sought the Ukrainian government's support in Nepal's candidacy for membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2027 to 2029. Meanwhile, both nations signed an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official and service passports, according to the secretariat of the Foreign Minister.