NEW YORK, December 15. /TASS/. US citizens Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia, are prisoners, not hostages, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview for NBC.

"They are in custody, they are not hostages," the spokesman said.

On December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a press conference that Russia does not reject an exchange of prisoners with the US, but "these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both parties." According to Putin, there are ongoing contacts with the US on this issue. The president underscored that "humanitarian considerations" must lie in the foundation of these decisions.

In March 2023, Evan Gershkovich, The Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in Russia on espionage charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison, but has not pleaded guilty. Other Americans in Russian custody include Paul Whelan, who holds US, Canadian and Irish citizenship, as well as UK citizenship, was detained while conducting a spy raid on December 28, 2018, by Russian FSB officers in a room of the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. The Moscow City Court found Whelan guilty and sentenced him to 16 years in a strict regime colony.