Kremlin Denies Talks on Freeing Political Prisoners for U.S. Sanctions Relief
Dmitry Peskov said U.S. and Russian officials have not discussed the idea, though intelligence services remain in contact on prisoner exchanges.
- On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed reports that Russia is discussing easing sanctions against Americans in exchange for releasing political prisoners.
- Earlier, The Atlantic reported that President Donald Trump had "signed on" to White House special envoy John Coale's initiative to gradually lift sanctions if Moscow agreed to free political prisoners.
- Memorial currently recognizes 1,826 people as political prisoners in Russia, while Russia's Prosecutor General designates The Moscow Times as "undesirable" and claims its work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership."
- Coale previously spearheaded a similar arrangement with Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned prisoners for sanctions relief, and is now hoping to apply that strategy toward Moscow.
- Peskov acknowledged that Russian intelligence services and Americans remain in regular contact regarding prisoner exchanges since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025.
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A position that emerges after being reported that the US would agree to ease economic sanctions in exchange for the release of some of these prisoners.
Peskov says Moscow categorically denies existence of political prisoners, calls framing inappropriate
Moscow denies that it is negotiating with Washington to release political prisoners in exchange for easing US sanctions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to an article in the Kyiv Independent.
The Kremlin denies that Russia would release political prisoners in exchange for easing US sanctions.
Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov has pointed out that this issue could not even be dealt with in this way because Russia denies “categorically” having “political prisoners.”
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