US pursuing second prisoner swap with Russia, says White House official

The United States is currently engaged in discussions with Russia regarding the possibility of a second prisoner exchange, according to John Kirby, the White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications.

Kirby made these remarks during an appearance on a foreign television channel, as reported by Caliber.Az.

Kirby was responding to a question about why the US has not yet secured the return of Mark Fogel, a former employee of the US Embassy, who has been accused in Russia of large-scale drug smuggling and possession.

"Even given the fact that we were not able to bring Fogel back, we have learned a lot about the Russian point of view on him and his case, and we hope that we can apply that to the negotiations that we're having right now. And we're actually having those discussions right now," Kirby stated.