Will exchange with Russia be basis for diplomacy on war in Ukraine: White House's response
National Security Advisor to the President of the United States Jake Sullivan (Getty Images)
The White House does not see a connection between prisoner exchange negotiations with Russia and the war in Ukraine, according to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
"We do not see a link between the hostage negotiation or the — the detained persons negotiations and any potential diplomacy over the war in Ukraine. We see those as operating on separate tracks," he said.
According to the advisor, one track involves the practical matter of arranging this exchange, while the other is "a much more complex question, where the Ukrainians will be in the lead."
"And the United States will consult closely with all of our allies to support them when they are prepared to step forward and engage in those — in that kind of diplomacy," Sullivan added.
Prisoner exchange between Russia and West
On August 1, the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War took place between the West and Russia. The US, Russia, Germany, and three other Western countries agreed to exchange 24 prisoners.
Among those exchanged was Vadim "Sokolov" Krasikov, who killed Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Germany in 2019. Additionally, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who had been imprisoned on espionage charges, was also exchanged.
As political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko previously said in a comment for RBC-Ukraine, the prisoner exchange between Russia and the West is not connected to the war in Ukraine and does not signify that Russia is ready for negotiations or to end its aggression.
