Moscow rejects Europe's demand to release Ukrainian sailors
Ukrainian sailors
Demands voiced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to release Ukrainian sailors held by Russia are unacceptable, Moscow's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website on Saturday.
Merkel and Macron demanded on Friday that Russia release the Ukrainian sailors, whom it captured along with their ships last month in the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea with the Azov Sea.
Russian border patrol boats fired on, boarded and seized the three Ukrainian vessels, along with 24 sailors, in November off the coast of Crimea. The sailors are still being held in detention by Russian authorities.
Macron and Merkel on Friday said these "excessive inspections" were a source of "deep concern".
"We call for all ships using the Kerch Strait to be given safe, free, and unhindered passage, and for the immediate and unconditional release of the Ukrainian sailors. They too must be allowed to spend the holidays with their families."
In a separate statement, Merkel's office said the chancellor had also discussed the Ukrainian issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call Friday and urged the release of the sailors.
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