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Recent prisoner swap was carried out without Russian and US leaders’ interference

Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported the exchange of Konstantin Yarosheko and Trevor Reed on April 27

MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Konstantin Yaroshenko and Trevor Reed were exchanged without interference in the process from President Vladimir Putin of Russia or President Joe Biden of the US, or the countries’ top diplomats, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters Monday.

"Those channels were not employed, but the job was done quickly and efficiently," said Ryabkov. "Anyway, I am glad that one of the most protracted and sensitive issues has now become history. We are glad that Konstanin has returned home."

The diplomat hoped that Washington understands "the importance of constructive cooperation on other instances of arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions of Russian nationals, now serving long jail terms in the US."

Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported the exchange of Yarosheko and Reed on April 27. Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in 2011 on drug trafficking charges. He has denied the charges and called his arrest a provocation, and denounced his case as a setup. American student Reed received a nine-year jail term in Russia in 2020 for physically assaulting police officers.

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Russian Foreign Ministry United States Sergey Ryabkov

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