The 2 sides haven’t discovered a “clear pathway to a decision” to date, Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan has mentioned
American and Russian officers are holding talks on attainable prisoner trades, US Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan informed journalists on Friday. The record of candidates for change consists of Wall Avenue Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, he added.
The negotiations haven’t yielded any tangible outcomes to date, the senior White Home official mentioned, including that he didn’t need to give “false hope.” Gershkovich was arrested in Russia in late March on espionage fees and has remained in custody ever since. In Could, a Russian court docket prolonged his arrest till August 30.
“There have been discussions, however these discussions haven’t produced a transparent pathway to a decision,” Sullivan mentioned when requested about Gershkovich’s case. He additionally mentioned that the US had no “clear reply” on the right way to safe the journalist’s launch.
Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov additionally mentioned that Moscow and Washington have been holding talks on potential prisoner swaps. “Now we have mentioned that there are specific contacts on this topic however we don’t need to make them public in any method,” he mentioned, including that such discussions “ought to… proceed in full silence.”
Peskov didn’t point out Gershkovich’s case particularly. He solely mentioned that diplomatic entry to these detained must be facilitated by each Moscow and Washington. His phrases got here after the US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, visited Gershkovich in Moscow’s Lefortovo jail. She acknowledged that the reporter was in “good well being” and remained “sturdy, regardless of his circumstances.”
The US formally designated Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained” by Russia in April. Moscow maintains that what he was doing within the Russian metropolis of Yekaterinburg “had nothing to do with journalism.” Peskov additionally beforehand described the reporter as being “caught red-handed” in an act of espionage.
It has been reported that Washington allegedly thought-about some “artistic options” to get Gershkovich launched, together with arresting some “Russian spies” in third international locations to supply in change. A Russian MP beforehand advised buying and selling the WSJ reporter for Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, presently being held in a British maximum-security jail whereas the US seeks his extradition on espionage fees.
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