The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to act as a mediator if Ukraine and Russia agree on the release of prisoners, Peter Maurer, the president of the humanitarian organization, said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine and Ukraine 24 TV channel.

"As you know, according to the norms of the Geneva Convention, prisoners of war are released after the end of hostilities. But if there is a possibility of an agreement between the parties on an earlier release, then we are ready to fulfill our role as a neutral mediator in the negotiations," Maurer said.

The ICRC president noted each of the parties to the armed conflict has obligations under international humanitarian law, and Ukraine has already taken steps to fulfill its part of the obligations.

"I am pleased to announce that Ukraine has taken concrete steps to fulfill its part of the obligations. Today, during a meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, he confirmed that the Ukrainian Red Cross will centrally collect the names of all Russian prisoners of war on the Ukrainian territory," he said.

Asked by the agency whether he himself or other members of the humanitarian mission visited Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine, Maurer said that "the ICRC is making very serious progress in its efforts to visit prisoners of war from both sides."