This Sunday, Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin adviser for international affairs, assured that Russia keeps diplomatic channels open with the United States for the possible exchange of prisoners between both countries. This occurs in the midst of tension between the two governments over the arrest of Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Moscow who is accused of espionage.
According to the Kremlin representative, contacts with the White House are not that frequent, but they would include the issuance of visas, which are the responsibility of the Foreign Ministry and the State Department, as well as the embassies of both countries in Moscow and Washington.
During the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both countries could carry out the exchange of the prisoners Víktor But, known as the Merchant of Death, a Russian arms dealer for the American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained for alleged trafficking of cannabis in Moscow. In addition, the White House has also spent years demanding the release of Paul Whelan, a former marine sentenced to 16 years in prison also for espionage.
Due to the detention of Evan Gershkovich, diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia have cooled after the Russians, after Washington did not issue a visa to a group of Russian journalists who were going to cover a session of the Security Council in United Nations, chaired by the Russian delegation in New York. Therefore, Moscow rejected the United States’ request for a new consular visit to Gershkovich.
With these recent statements from Moscow, the diplomatic channels between both powers are maintained to achieve the extradition of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. So far, the White House has not issued a statement on a possible prisoner swap with Moscow.
With information from EFE
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