Putin says he hopes for prisoner swap for Americans Gershkovich, Whelan but talks are 'not easy'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said he hoped a prisoner swap with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan could be reached with the United States, but that discussions on the issue are "not easy."

New York Times reporter Valarie Hopkins asked Putin during a press conference about whether there were any negotiations about bringing Gershkovich and Whelan, both U.S. citizens, back to the United States. 

"It’s not that we refused to return them - we don’t refuse, we want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and must suit both parties," Putin responded, according to the Kremlin, as translated. "We have contacts on this matter with our American partners, and the dialogue we are having on this matter is not easy."

Putin also said he hopes that D.C. and Moscow can "find a solution" but that America must "make an appropriate decision, one that suits the Russian side." 

The development comes after a Russian court extended Gershkovich's pre-trial detention on Thursday, according to Reuters.  Gershkovich has been imprisoned since March on espionage charges, which he has denied.  

Overshadowing any potential prisoner swap is the December 2022 exchange where Russia released WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for former Soviet Army Lt. Col. Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death."

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