Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has called for using all possible levers to compel Russia to release Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) sailors during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
Klimkin on Facebook on June 25 noted the expiration of the deadline on June 25 for Russia to respond to the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and release the sailors.
“Our American friends also said in Buenos Aires that without the release of the Ukrainian sailors there would be no meeting with the Russian president. This is worth a lot. I’m sure the reaction of Russia will not be long in coming,” Klimkin said.
As reported, on November 25, 2018, Russia captured Ukrainian Naval Forces ships and two dozen sailors in international waters. They transferred captive sailors to Moscow, where they are awaiting trial. Ukraine, the United States and European Union have demanded their immediate release.
