According to a Russian lawyer, the US and Russia have started talks on an exchange of prisoners. This could happen within two to three months, said Vladimir Scherebenkov on Monday the Reuters news agency. He is representing former US marine Paul Whelan, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June for espionage in Russia.
“As far as I understand, some kind of initiative has emerged,” said Scherebenkov, citing Russian security services. Apparently, under President Joe Biden, the United States initiated the negotiations. A statement from the US embassy was initially not available.
According to his own statements, Scherebenkov could not say whether the US citizen Trevor Reed, also a former Marine in Russian custody, was also the subject of the negotiations. Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison in July. The US government protested the verdicts in both cases. The lawyer said there were different statements about the question of who could be released from US custody in exchange. In conversation are the arms dealer Viktor Bout and Konstantin Jaroshenko, who is in custody for a drug offense. Russia has been trying to get her released for a long time. Scherebenkov also spoke of Russian business people, without naming them, as well as programmers.
–
