Peskov on Possible Resolution of Russia-US Relations

The interactions between the special services of Russia and the USA only pertain to the issue of prisoner exchanges and do not shape the bleak relations between the two countries, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President.

It is noteworthy that yesterday, Russian Viktor Bout, sentenced to 25 years for illegal arms sales and several other serious charges in the USA, was exchanged for American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to 9 years in Russia for illegal drug smuggling.

“No. Of course, this was handled by the relevant intelligence services of both countries, and the interactions were exclusively related to the topic of exchange, and they continue solely on the topic of exchange. This in no way affects the overall bilateral picture,” Peskov said in an interview with Rossiya 24 in response to a question about whether Bout's exchange could be a step towards a possible normalization of relations between the countries.

Bout spent nearly 15 years in a US prison. Griner was sentenced to 9 years for smuggling 0.7 grams of hashish and was detained at Sheremetyevo in February 2022.