Putin refuses to release Ukrainian soldiers: It's too early.

He was declared regarding this incident while attending the G20 summit in Argentina. US President Donald Trump had earlier announced his meeting with the Russian president precisely because of this incident. President Putin said those arrested should be held until the investigation is completed and evidence that three Ukrainian ships have illegally entered Russian waters.

He said electronic data and shipping journals will testify that passing ships from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea was a deliberate provocation. Asked whether an exchange of prisoners with Russian prisoners in Ukraine could occur, the Russian president declared: “We have not considered such an option and Ukraine has not raised the issue. It's too early to talk about it. They're still investigating”.

He directly accused the Ukrainian government of raising tensions. We need to show the fact that this was a provocation of the Ukrainian government and we have to put these things on paper. Ukraine's current leadership is not interested in solving the problem at all. The war will continue as long as they are in power. They are using war as a rationale for their economic failures, Putin said, writes the Guardian”