US and Russia holding talks on prisoner exchange, Russian diplomat says

The United States and Russia are holding talks regarding the possible exchange of prisoners, a senior Russian diplomat said Thursday.

The two nations are using a confidential channel to discuss swapping prisoners, notably Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, per Russian state agency TASS. Gershokovich has been in Russian captivity for a little over one year.

“[The] dialogue on this topic is being conducted through a specialized closed channel,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters. He said he was not authorized to speak on “the signals that pass through this channel.”

Ryabkov was reportedly directly responding to a question from TASS regarding reports that diplomats in Washington are preparing a new proposal to free Gershkovich, as well as Paul Whelan, a former Marine and corporate security executive.

Gershkovich was detained in Russia in March 2023 for an espionage allegation. He, the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government deny Russia’s claims. Gershkovich was in Russia on a reporting assignment at the time of his arrest and was accredited to work as a journalist by Russia’s foreign ministry. 

His captivity marked the first time Russia arrested a U.S. journalist for allegedly spying since the Cold War.

Whelan was arrested in Russia in 2018 on espionage charges and is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He and his family deny the charges. 

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The talks are not new but signal that the U.S. and Russia may be closer to a deal to release the two men. In December, Russia rejected a U.S. proposal to trade for Gershkovich and Whelan. 

Gershkovich and Whelan are currently the only two Americans who are categorized by the State Department as being wrongfully detained in Russia.