MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – nineteenth September, 2022) Moscow is able to focus on the trade of US residents Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner jailed in Russia with Washington, however the US embassy has to this point failed to speak with the host nation through diplomatic channels, Russian international ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned on Monday.
“We have repeatedly said that we are ready for negotiations concerning the destiny of the convicted US citizens in Russia and Russian nationals in the US … but instead of carrying out its duties of maintaining contacts with the diplomats of the host country, the US embassy in Moscow is busy with staging ‘mediamadness,'” Zakharova mentioned on Telegram.
US President Joe Biden on Friday met with the households of US basketball participant Griner and former US marine Whelan to reiterate Washington’s dedication to bringing them house. Their households weren’t knowledgeable the small print of Moscow’s trade necessities, nonetheless.
In late July, US media reported that Washington provided Moscow to trade Russian citizen Viktor Bout in US custody for Griner and Whelan.
Moscow has been reportedly searching for a fairer deal that will contain including one other jailed Russian nationwide, Vadim Krasikov, to be able to have a two-for-two trade.
Griner was sentenced in Russia to 9 years in jail and a high quality of 1 million rubles ($16,576) in early August on fees of bringing medication illegally into the nation. She tried to carry vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her baggage in February. The basketball participant pleaded responsible however insisted that she didn’t intend to interrupt the regulation.
Whelan is serving his jail sentence in Russia’s Mordovia Region after a Moscow court docket sentenced him in June 2020 to 16 years on fees of espionage. He has denied the fees however didn’t problem the decision within the hope of being a part of a possible prisoner trade between the United States and Russia.
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