France hails Russia's return of ship to Ukraine as boost for mutual trust

France on Monday hails Russia's return of ship to Ukraine as boost for mutual trust. Three Ukrainian ships were returned on Monday almost a year after the Russian navy seized the vessels in the Kerch Strait.

The navy vessels were seized during a clash in the Kerch Strait last year.

Ukrainian officials confirmed the return, a day after tug boats were seen towing the vessels through the strait that separates Crimea from the Russian mainland. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously announced the handover earlier on Monday.

The move was "in accordance with the agreements reached with the Ukrainian side," sources from Russian intelligence agency FSB's Crimean branch told Russian news agency Interfax.

The news comes ahead of a crucial summit between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. The handover is seen as an important step in resolving the ongoing five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine.

According to AFP reports, France President Emmanuel Macron hails return of ship to Ukraine as boost for mutual trust.

According to a source, the return of the ships should serve as another trust-building measure between Moscow and Kyiv, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pushes for a top-level meeting in the so-called Normandy format, with the presence of France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel.

These will be the highest-level talks carried out since 2016.

While the relationship between Moscow and Kyiv remains tense, Zelenskiy's unexpected victory this April signaled a change in the long-running conflict.

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