• Russian diplomat Sergei Ryabkov reveals US and Russia are in negotiations.
• Both individuals maintain their innocence and the US labels them as “wrongfully detained” by Russia.
• The Wall Street Journal has denied espionage allegations against Gershkovich.

A senior Russian diplomat disclosed that Moscow and Washington are currently in delicate negotiations regarding a potential prisoner exchange. However, the Russian side has accused the United States of leaking information about the ongoing discussions.

On December 5, the United States claimed that Russia had turned down a “new and significant” proposal concerning the release of Paul Whelan, a former US marine serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on espionage charges, and US reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is awaiting trial in Moscow for similar charges. Both individuals maintain their innocence, and the US has categorically labeled them as being “wrongfully detained” by Russia.

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax news agency in an interview published on Friday: “The issue of exchanges of citizens serving prison terms in Russia and the United States is extremely delicate. Decisions in this area are often hampered by being actively discussed in public.”

He said that contacts about possible exchanges were conducted by the intelligence services of both countries.

“It is interesting that the participants in these contacts on the American side insist on their complete confidentiality. We also adhere to this line, but then certain twists occur when the White House regularly arranges ‘leaks’ and begins to discuss sensitive issues in the public space.”

“Putin Urges Agreement in Talks with the US on Prisoner Release, Conditions Unspecified”

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last week that Moscow is hopeful about reaching an agreement in ongoing talks but emphasized that Washington must heed Russia’s conditions, without specifying them.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Wednesday, asserted that the US is actively working to secure the release of Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, leaving no avenue unexplored to bring them back home.

Historically, Russia and the US have engaged in high-profile prisoner swaps, with the most recent one occurring in December 2022 involving US basketball star Brittney Griner, convicted of a drug offense in Russia, in exchange for Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

The Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied espionage allegations against its reporter Gershkovich, who was detained in March on charges of attempting to obtain military secrets. Whelan, arrested in 2018, recently expressed feeling “abandoned” by the United States and conveyed that his life was ebbing away in a Russian penal colony.

The White House has expressed serious concern about reports indicating that Whelan feels physically threatened in prison.

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