Moscow and Washington are “in dialogue” about the potential release of prisoners held in Russian penal colonies, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS.
Ryabkov said the discussions were taking place “through intelligence-service channels” and involved the relevant government agencies. He gave no further details and provided no names of any prisoners who might be considered for a possible exchange.
In September, The Atlantic reported that Donald Trump had backed the idea of easing some sanctions on Russia in exchange for Moscow’s agreement to release political prisoners. According to the report, the proposal came from U.S. presidential envoy John Coale, who had previously taken part in negotiations with Alexander Lukashenko over the release of prisoners in Belarus.
The Kremlin said at the time that no such negotiations were taking place with the United States. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained the Russian position by claiming that Russia has no political prisoners.
Trump also referred over the weekend to “hostage negotiations” in the context of the broader talks with Moscow. The New York Times suggested he may have been referring to 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard, who in 2024 was sentenced by a Moscow court to seven years in prison on charges of mercenarism.
The U.S. has said the charges were fabricated. Hubbard had lived in Ukraine since 2014 and joined a territorial defense unit after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. He was ultimately captured by Russian forces.
