Kremlin On Russian-US Prisoner Exchange: Presidents Should Discuss This

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that discussing the potential Russian-US prisoner exchange was not a proper thing to do at this stage, since the presidents should discuss this.

Reporters asked Peskov to comment on Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov's recent statement that Russia is ready for a prisoner swap, but ex-US marine Paul Whelan, serving a sentence for espionage in Russia, is not on the list.

"I think we should not discuss any specific aspects until the two presidents discuss it in Geneva," Peskov said.

Asked if Whelan could be exchanged for Russian businessman Viktor Bout, serving his time in a US prison, Peskov said "it is absolutely inappropriate to discuss this now."

"You know that the [Russian] president [Vladimir Putin] did not rule out such a possibility in his interview with NBC, but this should be discussed by the two presidents," Peskov added.