State Department: Moscow rejected new US proposal for prisoner exchange

Photo: Alexander Kornyushchenko

The United States handed over to Russia in the last week, a new proposal to exchange the American Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia for espionage, and the Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested on similar charges. This statement was made on Tuesday, December 5, by the head of the press service of the US State Department, Matthew Miller.

According to the American official, this proposal was “substantial,” but the Russian side did not accept it.

< p>Moscow has not yet given any comments regarding the new initiatives of the American side for the exchange of prisoners.

Meanwhile, an incident occurred with the American Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia: in the colony, according to Whelan himself, he was attacked by 50 -year-old Turkish prisoner with “anti-American views.” Other prisoners intervened and stopped the conflict.

At the same time, the Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said that Russia demands that the United States stop hunting for Russians in other states and considers its priority the return to their homeland of all fellow citizens held in American prisons. prisons.