Ukraine is ready to hand over 23 Russian citizens who are serving their terms in Ukrainian prisons in exchange for Ukrainian hostages.
"Those Russians who were detained for involvement in war under the guise of the so-called militants are now serving their terms in Ukrainian prisons for serious crimes committed against Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It is evident that they are puppeteers rather than militia [puppets]. The Ukrainian side is ready to hand those convicts over, but we also want the release of Ukrainian citizens," First Deputy Speaker of Ukraine's parliament and Ukrainian envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group's humanitarian subgroup on the settlement of the Donbas crisis Iryna Gerashchenko told Channel 112.
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"If the Russian side claims: 'We're not there,' the Ukrainian side responds: 'No, you are here.' And now 23 Russians are in Ukrainian prisons. We are ready to swap them for Ukrainian hostages to be freed," Gerashchenko added.
The release of Ukrainian hostages is on the agenda of a new round of the Minsk talks on April 4.
