Ahead of US-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia, Moscow released Kalob Wayne Byers, who had been detained since February 7 on drug charges, according to US and Russian media reports, following a series of prisoner exchanges and releases carried out by Moscow in recent weeks.
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The move, announced late on February 17, appears to be another step aimed at reducing tensions between the United States (US) and Russia ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia, as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to end fighting in the war in Ukraine.
The New York Times quoted a Kremlin official as saying that the upcoming talks were designed to improve bilateral relations, "so that certain events can be viewed in this context."
The Associated Press (AP) quoted Byers' representatives as saying he was at the US embassy waiting for a flight home. The report said the move was a direct release, not a prisoner exchange. His name has also been listed in some sources as Kalob Byers Wayne.
A Russian court ordered Byers, 28, to be held in custody after he was arrested at a Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges when customs officers allegedly found cannabis marmalade in his luggage.
A court announcement on Telegram states that he faces a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to seven years.
The arrest came days after a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia, which the White House described as a sign of diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the war in Ukraine.
Washington and other Western governments have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin's government of arresting Western citizens on trumped-up or exaggerated charges and holding them as "hostages" that it can trade with the United States and other countries.
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