Lavrov spoke about contacts with the United States on the detained Americans
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Russia and the United States are not currently in contact at the level of heads of foreign affairs departments, communication is maintained only through the administrations of the presidents. In particular, Washington calls for the release of Americans detained in Russia, informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Tsargrad TV channel.
“We do not communicate at the ministerial level. Sometimes they call from the White House to the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Yuri Ushakov and send the same signal: “free Paul Whelan”, and now also allegedly a “journalist” [Эвана] Gershkovich, as they call him,” the minister said.
Lavrov added that the second topic in Russian-American contacts is the working conditions of Russian diplomats in the United States and American diplomats in Russia.
In March, the Kremlin said that Russia maintains “certain contacts” with the United States. On May 11, CNN, citing sources in the US administration informedthat Washington is exploring the possibility of easing sanctions against Russia to release Americans imprisoned in Russia. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on this topic.
May 13 White House National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby notedthat the US is “working hard to get Evan and Paul back to their families.”
Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow at the end of 2018 on suspicion of espionage. The defense argued that the American was the victim of a provocation. Whelan himself pleaded not guilty. He is currently serving a 16-year sentence in a strict regime colony in Mordovia.
The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich FSB delayed in Yekaterinburg on March 30 this year. According to the intelligence service, Gershkovich collected secret information “about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.” The Lefortovo Court of Moscow on March 30 took the American into custody.
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