Russia awaits US response to prisoner swap proposals

Days before US reporter Evan Gershkovich was scheduled to go on trial in Russia, Russia said on Wednesday that it was awaiting the US response to its proposals regarding a prisoner swap.

A Wall Street Journal reporter named Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 on false espionage charges that were denied by the White House, his employer, and his family.

In February, President Vladimir Putin announced that negotiations were in progress to exchange the journalist for a prisoner; however, the Kremlin has not provided any updates on the status of the talks.

"The United States has the initiative; we are awaiting their reaction to the suggestions that were put forth," Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, stated in an interview with Russia's official TASS news agency.

"The pertinent members of the US administration are well aware of them. I am aware that these concepts might not be to everyone's taste in America. Their issue is that, he continued.

On June 26, Gershkovich is scheduled to stand trial in secret in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. Should he be found guilty, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Moscow has been charged by Washington of detaining its citizens on false pretences in order to use them as leverage when negotiating the release of Russian nationals who have been convicted abroad.

Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, who was arrested in Russia last year for not registering as a "foreign agent," is one of several US citizens who are being held there. Her employers criticised the case against her, saying it was driven by politics.

Paul Whelan, a former US marine who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018 and is currently serving a 16-year sentence for espionage, is also attempting to be added to any upcoming prisoner exchange.