Russia in Minsk refuses to discuss release of political prisoners in exchange for convicted Russians

The Russian side in Minsk has refused to discuss an exchange of Russians convicted in Ukraine for political prisoners of the Kremlin.

Ukraine's representative in the humanitarian subgroup, First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko wrote this on her Facebook page on the results of a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) in Minsk.

"Russia adamantly refused to discuss the transfer of Russians (in exchange) for Ukrainian political prisoners of the Kremlin. Within the humanitarian subgroup and the Trilateral Contact Group, the OSCE coordinators unfortunately play up to this destructive position, saying that it should be bilateral negotiations," she wrote.

Gerashchenko also stressed that the Ukrainian side put forward another proposal regarding the exchange of three servicemen held captive by the militants since the Debaltseve tragedy. Russia declared that it was waiting for a change of power in Ukraine.

She thanked Ukraine's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group Yevhen Marchuk, who sharply raised the issue of an immediate release of political prisoners and called on the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit prisons in the occupied territories and look for hostages there.

“In order to force the Russian Federation to release our people, we need new tough sanctions but not new ‘peace plans’," the first vice speaker summed up.