This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-claims-deal-with-russia-to-release-pilot-savchenko/2016/04/19/59078766-0623-11e6-bfed-ef65dff5970d_story.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Ukraine, Russia reach deal to release pilot, Poroshenko says Ukraine, Russia reach deal to release pilot, Poroshenko says
(about 1 hour later)
MOSCOW — Ukraine and Russia have reached a deal to release a jailed Ukrainian pilot, President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday, without elaborating if it would entail a swap for two Russian servicemen convicted by Kiev. MOSCOW — Ukraine and Russia have reached a deal to free a jailed Ukrainian pilot, President Petro Poroshenko said Tuesday, suggesting that she will be swapped for two Russian servicemen jailed in Ukraine this week.
Nadezhda Savchenko was sentenced to 22 years in prison in Russia last month for her alleged role in the deaths of two Russian journalists in rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Kiev has insisted that Savchenko is a prisoner of war and should be immediately released. Nadezhda Savchenko, who was captured by Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine in 2014, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in Russia last month for her alleged role in the deaths of two Russian journalists.
Poroshenko said Tuesday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call on Monday on a formula that will allow Savchenko to be returned. Poroshenko wouldn’t elaborate what that is. Her capture and trial became a rallying point for Ukrainians at home and abroad.
“Yesterday’s phone conversation was my idea, and judging by the preparation work I think we have agreed on a certain algorithm that would allow Nadezhda’s release,” Poroshenko said during a news conference in Kiev with the Danish prime minister. “I think we have agreed on a certain algorithm that would allow Nadezhda’s release,” Poroshenko said Tuesday, the day after his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Poroshenko also said he has given orders to the foreign ministry and the justice ministry to “prepare the mechanisms to return Nadezhda Savchenko home as soon as possible.” Speaking at a televised news conference in Kiev with the Danish prime minister, he mentioned Monday’s conviction of two Russian officers in Kiev, saying that the verdict “gives opportunities to launch the mechanism of a swap.”
He would not say, however, when he expected Savchenko to be returned but added that he told Putin that he was ready to send a presidential jet to Russia to take her home. In a sign that the swap could be imminent, an attorney for one of the men told the Interfax news agency that the two Russians would not lodge an appeal against the verdict.
The Ukrainian president mentioned Monday’s conviction of two Russian officers in Kiev, saying that the verdict allows for the swap to go forward. Professional pilot, Savchenko enlisted in a volunteer Ukrainian battalion in summer 2014 to fight the separatist rebels in the Luhansk region. She was captured by the rebels and re-surfaced in Russian custody on the other side of the border. Moscow claimed Savchenko escaped from the separatists and was caught in Russia, while the Ukrainian claims she has been abducted and smuggled into Russia.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier that the two presidents talked about Savchenko as well as two Russian officers convicted on Monday of waging a war of aggression in Ukraine. Poroshenko would not say when he expected Savchenko to be returned but added that he told Putin that he was ready to send a presidential jet to Russia to take her home.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Tuesday that the two presidents talked about Savchenko as well as the two Russian officers convicted on Monday of waging a war of aggression in Ukraine.
A Kiev court on Monday sentenced Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev captured last year to 14 years in prison after finding them guilty of terrorism and waging war in eastern Ukraine. The two acknowledged being Russian officers but the Russian defense ministry claimed they had resigned from active duty.
Peskov would not respond to Poroshenko’s statement when contacted by the Interfax news agency, but only said that her future was discussed during Monday’s call.Peskov would not respond to Poroshenko’s statement when contacted by the Interfax news agency, but only said that her future was discussed during Monday’s call.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.