PARIS, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of France and Germany on Thursday asked "unconditional release" of Ukrainian sailors Russia had captured in November 2018, urging Moscow to act swiftly to resume dialogue and de-escalate tension in Ukraine, French Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
"It is now more important than ever for Russia to show political willingness and responsibility to restore an atmosphere of trust between the parties rather than sharpen tensions", France's top diplomat Jean Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart Heiko Maas said in a joint statement.
"Gestures are expected from Russia, and in particular the immediate release of 24 sailors illegally detained since 25 November," they added.
Le Drian and Maas pledged to hold soon a meeting of Normandy contact group, a four-party diplomatic group set up to resolve the conflict in Donbas that erupted in April 2014.
During their visit to Kiev, the two leaders also reaffirmed the support of France and Germany to Ukraine under the leadership of newly-elect president Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We welcome President Zelensky... commitment to the Minsk agreements and the Normandy format framework to reach a negotiated solution with Russia," they said.
On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian warships near the Kerch Strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and detained 24 sailors, accusing them of allegedly breaching the Russian border.
Tensions have flared up between Russia and Ukraine following the Kerch Strait incident. Moscow called the incident a political provocation, while Kiev denied any wrongdoing and Western countries denounced the "aggressive" actions of Russia.
