Volker: Russia may release Ukrainian sailors before Christmas

 “I think, it may happen. We all urge Russia to do it as a goodwill gesture. I hope they do not want to aggravate the situation, so we can get some impetus,” Volker said in an interview with the TSN Ukrainian television news service.

He recalled a recent conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which the Russian leader "referred to a so-called legal process inside Russia, which, of course, is not legal."

“However, even if he referred to the legal process the sailors must undergo, we hope this will be done as soon as possible if efforts are made. But the most important thing is to release the sailors at the earliest possible time. It would be perfect if they are released before Christmas,” the U.S. Special Representative stressed.

As reported, on November 25, Russian border ships committed the acts of aggression against three Ukrainian ships heading from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol. The Russian special forces fired on and seized three Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait and 24 sailors aboard.