- Thank you, colleagues! We're receiving a great number of questions and calls from abroad. Let me show it quickly, here's a map showing the people who are trying to reach us via the OK Live service. For example, they're calling from London, from Paris, Zurich, Hanover, Hamburg... We're also getting a great number of calls from Moldavia, from Belarus, of course, there are many people who are calling from Ukraine.
I'll give you just a couple of examples.
"On the 27th of April, you stated that a simpler procedure for acquiring Russian citizenship would be introduced for all Ukrainians, not just certain categories of citizens. When will you sign the decree?"
"Will we make peace with Ukraine?"
"Will we restore a good relationship with Ukraine?"
Here's a question from Odessa: "Vladimir Vladimirovich, will you visit us in Ukraine?"
Now, we have a direct call from Kiev, and I'm told that it's Valery Shvets, a Ukrainian journalist.
- Valery, good day to you!
- Vladimir Vladimirovich, good day to you!
Vladimir Putin: Good day!
- What are the prospects of the Minsk negotiations after the election in Ukraine? As we know, Victor Medvedchuk stepped down as a negotiator. He said that he would continue his own negotiations to free the people who are being detained, regardless of the position of the new Ukrainian government. Tell me, please, did Medvedchuk contact you regarding the issue of freeing the Ukrainian citizens who are being detained in penitentiaries in the Russian Federation?
Vladimir Putin: Well, first of all... we always keep an eye on these issues. Especially, regarding the problems of the people who found themselves in such a difficult situation in which they are detained in either a penitentiary or a similar facility which is no better than a prison. Well, it's true that Victor Vladimirovich Medvedchuk was working on this issue, both by the order of former Ukrainian President Poroshenko and on his own. But it started with an order by President Poroshenko. It's true that Victor Vladimirovich takes those problems very personally. Very recently, he came again and raised the issue of freeing the Ukrainian marines who were detained during the incident near the Kerch Strait. He also raised the issue of freeing some other individuals who were convicted and are now serving their time in a penitentiary in the Russian Federation.
However, the issues of this kind must be resolved in a comprehensive manner, and, before resolving these issues, we should think about the fate of the people we care about, including the citizens of the Russian Federation who now find themselves in a similar situation in Ukraine.
