The United States is actively negotiating with Russia over the extradition of Paul Whelan and Alexander Gershkovich, who were arrested for espionage. This was stated by White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby. RIA News.
But Kirby declined to provide details of the negotiations.
December 13 Moscow City Court left In the pre-trial detention center of The Wall Street Journal journalist Gershkovich, accused of espionage.
At the end of March 2023, an American broadcast journalist was arrested in Yekaterinburg; If proven guilty, he faces up to 20 years in prison under the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on espionage.
Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow in December 2018. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage and sent to a colony in Mordovia to serve his sentence. Whelan has denied any wrongdoing. On April 1, 2023, it was learned that Whelan was transferred to the hospital in the colony.
Previously in the Kremlin denied Publicly discuss U.S. proposals to trade Whelan and Gershkovich.