MOSCOW - The decision on exchanging Ukrainian military aviator Nadia Savchenko for Russian citizens Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov was made by the Russian and Ukrainian presidents and was not the result of an agreement between the Normandy format leaders, a high-ranking Moscow-based source said.
“A number of Western officials alleged in commenting on Savchenko’s exchange for the two Russians that the agreement on this had been reached during a telephone conversation between the Normandy Four leaders. This is not consistent with the reality,” the source told journalists.
“As was announced yesterday, the decision had been developed long before this and was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko,” he said.
“The other Normandy Four members were only informed during the telephone talks about the decision that had already been made,” he said.
