US hindering prisoner exchange with unequal demands: Russian officials
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that talks between the two countries to free American citizens held in Russia are being hampered by American propaganda and a perceived disparity in its approach to negotiations. The US State Department said last week That Russia has rejected several proposals to release American Paul Whalen and ‘Wall Street Journal’ reporter Ivan Gershkovich, convicted of espionage. Gershkovich was detained in March and faces espionage charges. “Here, as in many other regions, we have experienced America’s desire to get more for itself and give less to the other side,” Ryabkov said in an interview with the Interfax news agency.
This interview was published on Friday. The United States has announced that both Whalen and Gershkovich were wrongfully detained, thus drawing substantial media attention to these cases. Ryabkov alleged, “The American media is publishing these ‘stories’ with gusto at the instigation of the current (Biden) administration.” It is a very difficult process, despite being conducted behind closed doors.” He said, ”It is interesting that the participants in the talks from the US side insist on their complete confidentiality. We also follow this policy, but there come certain moments when the White House regularly leaks (information) and starts discussing sensitive issues in a public space.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Moscow was in talks with the United States over freeing Whelan and Gershkovich and that the Kremlin hoped to find a solution. Whalen, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has been jailed since his arrest in Russia in December 2018 on espionage charges. However, Whalen and the US government reject this allegation. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Gershkovich was detained in March during a visit to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, about 2,000 kilometers east of Moscow. He was also accused of espionage.
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