State Dept. Refuses To Comment On Reported US-Russia Prisoner Swap

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2021) US State Department spokesperson Ned price on Tuesday declined to comment on the possibility of a prisoner exchange that would involve Paul Whelan, an American citizen who is serving a prison sentence in Russia for spying, with a Russian citizen imprisoned in the United States.

"I wouldn't want to go into that from here," Price said during a press briefing when asked about the swap that is reportedly being negotiated between the US and Russian governments.

Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told Sputnik that his client could be exchanged for a Russian IT specialist who is jailed in the United States. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he is unaware of the possibility, while Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov refuted the report by saying Moscow and Washington are not discussing a prisoner exchange.

"We remain concerned for his well-being and safety and will continue to speak on Mr. Whelan's behalf until the Russian government finally does the right thing and sends Mr. Whelan home to his family here in the United States," Price said.

Whelan - who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom - was arrested in Russia in December 2018 and sentenced by a Moscow court to 16 years in prison for espionage. Whelan has denied the charges and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.