WASHINGTON, Nov 19 The White House accused the Russian Federation of abandoning serious negotiations on the exchange of prisoners contrary to public statements, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a press briefing. and Russia on the exchange of convicts.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters the day before that the Russian Federation and the United States have not yet come to a common denominator on the issue of prisoner exchange, but contacts continue through a special channel. According to him, the Americans demonstrate some external activity, «we work professionally through a special channel.» Earlier in November, he also reported that Moscow and Washington do not have any new alternative channels for discussing prisoner exchange issues, the dialogue is proceeding according to a certain schedule, the topic is not closed.
«In recent months, they have not begun to seriously discuss through established channels or any other channels,» Jean-Pierre asserts.
At the end of July this year, according to media reports, Washington offered Moscow to exchange Russian businessman Viktor a term for arms trafficking, for Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage in the Russian Federation, and basketball player Brittney Griner (in August she received a nine-year prison term for drug smuggling). According to CNN, the US authorities informally asked Germany about the possibility of including in the prisoner exchange with the Russian Federation a Russian sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of murdering a Georgian citizen, ethnic Chechen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, in the Tiergarten park.
It's about a citizen Russia Vadim Sokolov. According to the German investigation, his real name is Vadim Krasikov. The defense insisted that the evidence base was insufficient.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russian authorities discussed with Germany the extradition of Khangoshvili in connection with his involvement in terrorism, including explosions in the Moscow metro.