WASHINGTON, August 5. /TASS/. Washington has notified Moscow that it will not change its policy toward Russia, especially what concerns Ukraine, and the August 1 prisoner swap should not be seen as the US coming off its position, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told TASS.

"The Americans confirmed, and this can be said following my <…> contacts with White House officials, that this (the prisoner swap - TASS) is an isolated case and Washington will not change its policy toward Russia, including on the Ukrainian track," he said, adding that embassy employees "did not believe that it [the exchange] would happen until the last minute."

When word came that it was official, many of those who worked to make the exchange happen "had tears in their eyes," the Russian diplomat recalled.

"We in the embassy see no signals, attempts or willingness to speak to us," Antonov said. "It looks like there is consensus in the [US] administration that only a victory by one of the sides in southeastern Europe will make it possible to achieve peace. And there is only one conclusion to draw in such an environment - that peace in southeastern Europe can only happen after all the goals and objectives of the special military operation are attained, and this is not a slogan, this is a reality."