Moscow not to consider Kiev’s idea of swapping Medvedchuk for convicted Ukrainians

MOSCOW (TASS): Moscow is unlikely to seriously look at Kiev’s idea of exchanging Ukrainian opposition party leader, Viktor Medvedchuk, for Ukrainian nationals convicted in Russia, Russian president’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

“We have taken notice of this fact,” he said. “It looks like a purely domestic Ukrainian matter. I don’t know why they want to put up Ukrainian politicians for exchange. Neither do I know whether the Ukrainian politician wants it himself or whom they want to exchange him for. So, we cannot take this idea seriously.”

He recalled that a number of acting Ukrainian politicians were running their businesses in Russia quite successfully. “But I cannot name them,” he added.

Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Alexei Danilov said earlier he did not rule out that Kiev could offer Moscow to swap the leader of the Opposition Platform For Life party, Viktor Medvedchuk, after he was convicted, for Ukrainian nationals serving their sentences in Russia.