MOSCOW. July 9 (Interfax) - The rumors concerning the possible exchange of United States citizen Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage in Russia, for Russian citizens held in detention in the U.S. are untrue, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"I'd like to stress yet again: the rumors suggesting that discussions are going on with the American side on some probable exchange [...] of Whelan for our citizens are untrue," Zakharova said at a press briefing on Thursday.
"We've regularly seen media reports claiming that Russia is holding some negotiations with U.S. representatives regarding an exchange of Paul Whelan, who has been convicted in our country for spying and sentenced to 16 years in prison," Zakharova said.
She pointed out that, apart from U.S. citizenship, Whelan also has passports of three other countries.
"This whole story has been actively furnished with fakes by our American partners, media hoaxes have been spread, and untrue commentaries have been made," she said.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry has been working permanently together with our foreign missions for years to protect the rights and legal interests of Russian citizens held in U.S. prisons," she said.
"All possible efforts have been made to secure the soonest possible release of our compatriots, who have experienced a biased and sometimes politically motivated attitude on the part of the U.S. justice system. I am talking, in particular, about Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout, of whom we've been saying regularly [...] and, surely, also about Bogdana Osipova, who has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term in the U.S. only for taking her own children out of the country," Zakharova said.