When it comes to prisoner exchanges with Russia, silence is golden, says U.S. special envoy

U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens says he agrees with the Kremlin that silence is essential when it comes to public discussions about prisoner exchanges.

«This might be the one time that I'll agree with the Russians,» Carstens said during an interview on broadcast on Sunday. He explained that fact checking every story that comes up about possible prisoner exchanges, «might prove detrimental to bringing the guys home.»

The diplomat is referring to U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, 32, and Ottawa-born U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, 54, who are both being held in Russian penal colonies on spying charges.

Gershkovich is a reporter with the Wall Street Journal newspaper and has now spent one year in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison. Whelan is a former corporate security executive and U.S. marine veteran who was arrested in 2018 while in Moscow to attend a friend's wedding.

Gershkovich's sister, Danielle Gershkovich, told that she continues to exchange letters with Evan on a weekly basis. «He's still my little brother teasing me,» she said.

Diplomat sees positive signs

A Moscow court announced last week that Gershkovich's pre-trial detention would be extended another three months, sparking international outcry.

Carstens said he views the extension as a «positive» that could signal the Russians want to knock out a deal in the next 90 days. «I'm hopeful that we can get something done before Evan actually starts a trial,» he said.

The extension gives his negotiating team «more time and space to try to figure out a way to come to a deal that the Russians will take and that the United States can bring to bear.»

Gershkovich became the first U.S. journalist arrested on spying charges in Russia since the Cold War. He was detained