The Russian Coast Guard handed over three naval vessels seized last year to Ukraine, showing goodwill ahead of a four-party summit in France.

The return took place off Crimea yesterday, near the place where three Ukrainian naval vessels were captured a year earlier by the Russian Coast Guard. Russian media reported that the documents and ammunition on the ships were detained and were not handed over to Kiev.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed that three naval vessels had been returned and were returning to Odessa port. The handover of the ship to Kiev was seen as a gesture of goodwill by Moska ahead of the 4-party summit in Paris, France in December to find a solution to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Russia seized two artillery ships, one tugboat and 24 Ukrainian sailors near the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018, alleging that it "violated territorial waters and committed dangerous actions". Kiev denied Moscow's allegations, claiming that its ships were captured after leaving Russian territorial waters, and demanded that the Russian authorities release the captured sailors and warships immediately but were not met.

Russia released 24 Ukrainian sailors in September as part of an agreement to exchange prisoners between the two countries to ease bilateral tensions.

Conflict in eastern Ukraine came after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, which made relations between Moscow and the West worse. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of providing financial and military support to the separatists, but Moscow denies the allegations.

Ukraine's President Zelensky, who came to power in May, pledged to bring peace and regain control of Kiev over separatist regions. The Ukrainian army and the separatists last week made the final phase of the withdrawal, seen as a prerequisite for the summit. The five-year conflict between the two sides in Donetsk and Lugansk, eastern Ukraine, has killed more than 13,000 people.

Kerch Strait location. Graphics: Economist.