MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Russia is talking to the United States about a prisoner exchange and hopes to find a solution that will be acceptable for both sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"I wouldn’t say that we refuse to release them. We don’t. We want to reach an agreement and this agreement should be mutually acceptable and satisfy both sides," he said during his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference. "We do maintain contacts with our US partners on this matter. Dialogue on this continues."

The president admitted that this dialogue was not an easy one. "I’ll refrain from going into detail now but in general I think we are speaking the same language. I hope we will find a solution," he said. "I hope the American side will hear us and make a decision here that will be acceptable for the Russian side as well."

"Naturally, these solutions should be based on humanitarian considerations," Putin stressed.