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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Kiev promises diplomatic access to Russians detained in Donbas after due formalities

A Foreign Ministry official assured that the Russians’ health was "satisfactory"

Reporters look at the TV screen showing Alexander Alexandrov AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov

Reporters look at the TV screen showing Alexander Alexandrov

© AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov

KIEV, May 26. /TASS/. The meeting between Russian diplomats and two Russian citizens held in Ukraine may be expected in the near future, Ukraine’s Security Service advisor Markiyan Lubkovskiy told the 112 Ukraine TV channel on Tuesday.

The official assured there are no obstacles for organizing the meeting with Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov, who were captured in mid-May near Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine.

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"We expect that such a meeting may take place in the near future if the Russian diplomats wish this," he said.

Lubkovskiy stressed that Ukraine’s Security Service is in a constant contact with Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on the issue. "We are not creating any obstacles," the official said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry earlier on Tuesday confirmed Lubkovskiy’s words. "On May 25, Russia’s embassy was informed in due order by the Foreign Ministry’s official note that such an access has been provided," it said.

The note included particular contacts with persons that the consul needs to talk to for solving the logistic issues to organize this meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s special envoy Dmitry Kuleba said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry earlier said the citizens were not servicemen of the Russian armed forces at the moment of detention. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has demanded the immediate access of diplomats to the fellow countrymen detained by Ukraine’s SBU.

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