MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Wednesday he may discuss the case of US spy suspect Paul Whelan at talks in Helsinki with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.

Russia calls on US to exchange prisoners before verdict on Whelan is pronounced

"If they ask this [question], we will be certainly able to give a well-known answer. There is a certain procedural aspect, which cannot be discarded," Ryabkov said.

Ryabkov and Hale are scheduled to hold consultations in Finland’s capital on Wednesday. The talks are expected to focus on launching strategic Russian-US dialogue on a broad range of issues. The meeting is due to be held in the run-up to a round of full-format consultations on strategic stability between Russia and the US on July 17-18 in Geneva.

Earlier, Ryabkov said Moscow called on Washington to swap prisoners, including Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, before Whelan’s sentence is announced.

US citizen Paul Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, is a global security chief at BorgWarner, a Michigan-based automotive components company. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Whelan was detained on December 28, 2018 in Moscow while on an alleged spy mission. A criminal investigation was launched against him on espionage charges carrying a punishment of between 10 and 20 years behind bars. A Moscow court earlier upheld a decision to keep Whelan in custody until August 29.