The Kremlin believes that issues of possible exchange of citizens, such as American Paul Whelan, should be resolved before the details of the negotiations are made public. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated this when asked to comment on the recent meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Whelan at a briefing.
“I would like to remind you of President Putin’s words in his last interview that these issues love silence and can only be resolved with silence. “For the sake of our interests, the interests of the American side, the interests of all those concerned, it is better that all this be resolved quietly,” Peskov said, answering Whelan’s question whether diplomatic efforts were increasing regarding the exchange of views.
February 12 Winks reportedHe said he spoke to Whelan on the phone. He emphasized that the American side continues to actively strive every day to bring Americans home.
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 denies wrongdoing.
Whelan was previously convicted of espionage in the Russian Federation anxiousHe said the United States might abandon him in Russia.