The Kremlin has opened the door to contact with the United States about a possible prisoner exchange, which could include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, but it has been pointed out that such talks would have to be conducted in secret.
Asked whether Monday's consular visit to Gershkovich, who is behind bars in Moscow on espionage charges, and to Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian citizen in US custody accused of cybercrime, could lead to a potential prisoner exchange, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said announced that Moscow and Washington touched on the subject.
"We said that there were already contacts about it, but we don't want to make it public. It has to be done in complete silence," said Peskov at the press conference.
He did not give more details, but added that the legal right to consular visits must be guaranteed to both parties.
American Ambassador to Russia Lynn Tracy was allowed access to the detained journalist on Monday. This is the ambassador's second visit since Geršković was detained in March on espionage charges, which he denied.
Dunaev was extradited to America from South Korea and is in prison in Ohio. Russian diplomats had the opportunity to visit him for the first time since he was arrested in 2021, Nadezhda Shumova, head of the consular section of the Russian Embassy, confirmed for the Tas agency.
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