Peskov said that Russia maintains contacts on the exchange of prisoners with the United States
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Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president, said that Moscow maintains contacts with the United States regarding a possible prisoner exchange between the countries, but the Kremlin would not like to talk about them publicly.
“We said that there are certain contacts on this matter, but we do not want to make them public in any way. They must be carried out and continue in complete silence,” Peskov told reporters during a conference call. He did not elaborate on the possibility of prisoner exchanges with the United States in the near future.
Dmitry Peskov also commented on the visit by US Ambassador Lynn Tracy to The Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in the Russian Federation on charges of espionage, and the visit by Russian diplomatic representatives to Russian citizen Vladimir Dunaev, who was extradited to the United States. According to the Kremlin spokesman, the provision of consular access to prisoners is “a legal right that must be strictly ensured.”
12 May CNN citing sources, said that the US administration is considering easing sanctions against the FSB as a measure to contribute to exchange concluded with Russia. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia fundamentally does not discuss the issues of the US sanctions policy.
The United States, according to CNN sources, wants as a result of the exchange to get American Paul Whelan accused of espionage (he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020), as well as Evan Gershkovich, a journalist from the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, who was arrested in March under the same article.
On June 3, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that the Russian Federation and the United States are discussing through special channels the issue of prisoner exchanges. According to him, the discussion of exchanges is conducted through special channels and is not regular.
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