Ryabkov noted that in recent weeks, amid the completion of the consideration of Whelan’s case in court in public space, “quite a lot of different kinds of judgments, including speculative ones, have appeared on this subject.”
“It was mentioned about some closed consultations, negotiations on this issue. I declare with all responsibility that this kind of discussion is not being held with the USA, ”the Deputy Foreign Minister quoted Interfax as saying.
On June 15, a court convicted Whelan of espionage against Russia and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security colony. On July 2, the verdict entered into force.
In December 2018, the FSB stated that Whelan was detained during an espionage campaign in Moscow.