Paul Whelan

Russia and the United States have carried out an unexpected prisoner exchange in Turkey in a time of high tensions, trading on April 27 a Marine veteran jailed by Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America. 

Russia is ready to consider the issue of prisoner swap with the US, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with NBC.

"Yes, of course," he said when asked a respective question.

Meanwhile Putin noted that much more Russian citizens are in US prisons than American citizens - in Russia.

Russia has arrested an American citizen on suspicion of spying in Moscow, its domestic security service (FSB) has said, quoted by Aljazeera. 

The FSB, which took the American into custody on December 28, said in a statement on Monday that a criminal case has been opened against the suspect.