“I don’t presume to judge, in connection with what and on what grounds such statements are made.
As a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I can with full responsibility reaffirm what we have talked about many times in public and which we have repeatedly signaled to American officials during our contacts: that we are talking about the exchange of Paul Whelan for any Russian does not go ", - quoted by RIA Novosti Ryabkov.
He noted that Whelan was convicted under a very serious article and is serving a sentence.
As the Deputy Foreign Minister specified, the Russian side is ready to consider options for exchanges.
“This has also been said many times.
And at different stages of the discussion of this topic, we passed on to the Americans what is called the lists of those persons who are kept by us and who could be considered in this context, if the Americans are interested in this.
But Whelan was never included in these lists, ”Ryabkov added.
On June 15, 2020, the court found Whelan guilty of espionage against Russia and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security colony.
In December 2018, the FSB announced the arrest of Whelan during a spy action in Moscow.