Paul Whelan is not on the list for detainee exchanges agreed by Russia and the United States, this issue is not being discussed at the moment, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2020) Paul Whelan is not on the list for detainee exchanges agreed by Russia and the United States, this issue is not being discussed at the moment, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Tuesday.
"Mr Whelan is not part of such exchange schemes," Ryabkov told reporters.
US citizen Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage by a court in Moscow on Monday.
"As for Mr Whelan, as it was recognized by the court, he is guilty of a major crime, received a significant sentence. In other countries, much longer sentences are given for that kind of offense. We see no reason to say that some decisions made by the Moscow court were 'politicized,' it is not true," Ryabkov said.
