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Moscow seeks to include as many Russians as possible into swap with US – ambassador

The Russian ambassador to Washington noted that the constant attempts by the US administration to bring discussion of the topic of a potential exchange into the public space are hindering the process

SAN FRANCISCO /California/, November 4. /TASS/. Russia is seeking to include as many of its citizens as possible into a possible exchange of detainees with the United States, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said, answering to a question from TASS.

"I would like to stress once again, the most important thing for us is to bring home from the US custody as many Russians as possible," the diplomat said, after visiting Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik, held in pretrial custody in California.

The ambassador added that Washington’s constant attempts to bring the issue of the potential exchange to the public domain were counter-productive.

"We believe that a public debate on this problem is counter-productive. It is a delicate effort involving special services from both sides, and it requires a quiet and calm atmosphere," Antonov continued.

"There is nothing new for me to say to you, I can only confirm what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on many occassions before: the two presidents [Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden] have agreed on a channel of communication for such talks," the Russian diplomat said.