Russian Foreign Ministry begins work on possible prisoner swap with the US, says diplomat

Russian Foreign Ministry begins work on possible prisoner swap with the US, says diplomat
# 18 June 2021 02:17 (UTC +04:00)

The Russian Foreign Ministry has started focused work on the possibility of a prisoner swap with the US, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RTVI television on Thursday, APA reports citing TASS.

"President [of Russia Vladimir Putin] has said everything. We have already started focused work on all those aspects that he voiced at the news conference yesterday," the diplomat said.

In reply to the question whether Russians jailed in the US have got a chance for the release, Zakharova stressed that this issue "should not be discussed in pubic space". "These are the issues in which it is very important to be guided in public space by the principle of the medics ‘do not harm’. We are the agency that advocates openness, but there are certain moments when there should be silence," she added.

Russia and the US can find certain compromises on the issue of Russians jailed in the US and US nationals serving a prison term in Russia, President Vladimir Putin told journalists after the Russia-US summit in Geneva on Wednesday.

"We spoke about this. President [of the US Joe] Biden raised this issue in relation to American citizens imprisoned in the Russian Federation. We discussed this. Certain compromises can be found in this regard," the Russian leader said.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry and the US Department of State will work towards this," Putin stressed.

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