U.S. officials have shifted their focus to Russian citizens held in American prisons amid negotiations for a prisoner swap to free Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan from Moscow’s grips, but the Kremlin has not shown any interest in such a deal, TheWall Street Journal reports. Until recently, Washington had focused on a potential trade involving Russians locked up in other countries, but they’ve reportedly been forced to recalculate due to the difficulties of securing an exchange involving third countries. That appears to leave them with less leverage, however. U.S. officials cited by the Journal said Moscow doesn’t appear to view any of its citizens held in the U.S. as high-value prisoners. Gershkovich, a reporter for the Journal, has been in a Russian prison since March, when he was scooped up by security services and accused of espionage. Whelan, a former Marine, has been held by Russia since late 2018 on the same charges. In both cases, the U.S. has deemed the men “wrongfully detained.” U.S. officials are also working to secure the release of American teacher Marc Fogel, in Russian custody since August 2021 for bringing medical marijuana into the country.
