Kremlin Rejects US Sanctions-for-Prisoners Deal, Calls Proposal "Completely Inappropriate"

The Kremlin denied on September 30 that Russia and the US were discussing the release of Russian political prisoners in exchange for sanctions relief.

This was reported by The Moscow Times on September 30. The outlet cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who rejected reports that such an arrangement had been discussed with US officials.

“In this formulation, the issue was not discussed and could not be discussed because we categorically deny the existence of any political prisoners,” Peskov stated during a briefing. He described the framing of the proposal as “completely inappropriate.”

Memorial, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Russian human rights organization, currently recognizes 1,826 people as political prisoners in Russia. Peskov nevertheless acknowledged that Russian and US intelligence services remain in regular contact over prisoner exchanges.

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War in Ukraine

Russian Courts Prosecute Journalists as Terrorists to Bar Them From Prisoner Swaps

Feb 06, 2026 16:34

Russia and the US have carried out two prisoner swaps since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. Earlier this week, the White House nominated John Coale to serve as its special envoy for hostage affairs.

The statement followed an earlier briefing that the Trump administration was considering sanctions relief for Russia in exchange for the release of political prisoners.

On September 29, it was reported that the proposal was developed by White House special envoy John Coale and could involve gradually easing sanctions if Moscow released prisoners. The approach reportedly mirrors a similar arrangement used with Belarus, where prisoner releases were tied to sanctions relief and potential economic agreements.

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