At the same time, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage, was not among them.
According to TASS, in an interview with Izvestia published on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia is ready, using the mechanism of the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, to transfer to the United States American citizens serving time in Russia but convicted of espionage Paul Whelan in they are not included.
“We can literally solve the situation with our compatriots who are serving breathtaking sentences in the United States. If the Americans agree to use the mechanism of the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, we are ready to hand over their citizens to the Americans”, – he said.
“There were some discussions at the previous stages of who exactly in this connection we could have in mind, but Mr. Paul Whelan was not in those lists, in those lists and in those references that we made, and now this question is irrelevant, it is not considered in this context”.
According to Ryabkov, the American side is familiar with this position.
“We are constantly telling the Americans about this, now the topic is being heard again for the summit. I do not undertake to predict in what key the dialogue of the leaders will take place, but the position that we are working out, defending and promoting is very well known to the Americans”, – he said.