Following the recent release of two detained Americans, the Kremlin hints at the possibility of another prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that a new prisoner swap is under consideration. He cited this week’s Saudi Arabia talks between the two nations as contributing to improved relations, according to Reuters.
Reuters also reports that at least 10 American citizens remain in Russian custody. A 28-year-old American, detained earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, was released before Tuesday’s Riyadh discussions.
This follows the release last week of Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen held for four years on drug charges, in exchange for Russian national Alexander Vinnik, who was imprisoned in the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges.
After returning to the U.S., [Name redacted for privacy] met with President Donald Trump at the White House and praised him for his role in securing his release.
U.S. and Russian officials engaged in diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, without Ukrainian participation.
Led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the discussions aimed to explore terms for a Ukrainian peace agreement and a potential meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio’s team agreed to establish a foundation for cooperation with Russia on various matters beyond Ukraine.
’ Landon Mion, Anders Hagstrom, Jacqui Heinrich and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.