Moscow would like to reach an agreement with Washington on bringing home two US nationals accused of espionage, the Russian president has said
Russia has never refused to hand over Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan to the US, President Vladimir Putin clarified during a marathon Q&A session on Thursday.
The two US nationals are currently being held in custody in Russia on espionage charges. Washington has insisted that its citizens are being wrongfully detained and has been trying to secure their release. To that end, CNN has reported that the Biden administration is currently looking around the world for detained Russians to exchange.
Vladimir Putin was asked by a New York Times reporter to comment on a claim made by a State Department spokesperson that Moscow had recently rejected a “substantial offer” to return Gershkovich and Whelan to the US.
The president insisted that Moscow has not refused to send…