US Envoy For Ukraine Volker Says Wants To Meet Russian Counterparts 'In Near Future'

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2019) US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said on Tuesday that he wants to hold a meeting with Russian counterparts in the near future for talks on advancing the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.

"I would like to meet with my Russian counterparts in the near future, but I do not know what form that [meeting] will take at the moment," Volker said in prepared remarks for a congressional hearing. "

Volker said he is willing to meet with Russian officials to discuss a way forward if Russia is serious about making progress.

"I told the Russians that a good first step would be for Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors and vessels it seized during its unjustified attack near the Kerch Strait, which would be in keeping with the recent provisional order of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea," Volker said.