Tymoshenko: Russia has decided to turn Savchenko over to Ukraine
Russia has already decided to transfer Ukrainian military pilot Nadia Savchenko, who has been sentenced by a Russian court to 22 years in prison, to Ukraine, says Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivschyna party.
"Our information indicates that there is the decision that she would be passed to Ukraine either for a swap or she might be passed to Ukraine in keeping with international legal documents to serve her sentence in Ukraine. There are great chances for that," Tymoshenko said on the Shuster Live televised talk show.
Such assurances have been given to "first-level world leaders, such as the president of the U.S. and the chancellor of Germany," who have persuaded Russia to hand Savchenko over to Ukraine, Tymoshenko said.
Meanwhile, Savchenko's defense lawyer Ilya Novikov says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's negotiations in Russia on Savchenko's future passed well, and a decision on this should be made within two weeks.
"According to my information, his negotiations concerning Nadia Savchenko passed successfully. The date when a way for her to return to Ukraine should be determined was publicly named during the negotiations," Novikov said.
The lawyer pointed out this did not mean that Savchenko would return to Ukraine within two weeks but rather that the Russian leadership would decide within this period of time on the procedure for her transfer to Ukraine.