The United States and Russia have been working through a potential prisoner exchange. The exchange is for two Americans, Paul Whelan, and Evan Gershkovich, but Russian officials say there’s been a bit of a hiccup and the exchange is delayed.
The US State Department says that Russia rejected several of their proposals to release the two Americans, but Russia claims that the proposals are unfair and have unequal demands.
“Here, as in many other areas, we observe the American traditional desire to get more for ourselves and give the minimum, as they say,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
Russia also claims that the American media has a huge effect on them reaching a decision, as there have been multiple “leaks” and the media has picked up on this prisoner exchange situation.
The United States claims that both Whelan and Gershkovich were wrongly accused and arrested. This has led to the media picking up the story and presenting it to the public, which makes finding a fair solution here difficult for both Russia and the United States.
“The American media, in general, at the instigation of the current administration, are actually engaged in savoring these stories,” Ryabkov alleged. “This is a very difficult process, even when it is conducted confidentially behind closed doors.”
The combination of the unfair demands in the proposal presented by the US, and also the amount of media attention that this is getting, is making the process much more difficult.
“It is interesting that the participants in these contacts on the American side insist on their complete confidentiality. We also adhere to this line, but then certain turns occur when the White House regularly makes leaks and begins to discuss sensitive issues in the public space,” he said.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, said that they were discussing the terms of the prisoner exchange with the United States and that they hope to “find a solution”.
