On the eve of the start of talks between the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia, Moscow has released American Kalob Wayne Byers, who has been in custody since February 7, on drug possession charges, according to American and Russian media reports.
The news comes after a series of prisoner exchanges between the two countries in recent weeks.
The latest decision appears to be another step towards easing tensions between the US and Russia, ahead of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
The American daily The New York Times quoted a Kremlin official as saying that Tuesday's talks are aimed at improving bilateral relations.
The Associated Press news agency quoted Byers' representatives as saying that the man is at the US Embassy and is waiting for a flight to return home.
According to reports, this is only about the release and not the exchange of prisoners.
A Russian court had ruled that Byers, 28, be held in custody after his arrest at Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges, as customs officers allegedly found a type of jam mixed with cannabis in his suitcase.
A court post on Telegram said he faces a seven-year prison sentence.
His arrest came just days after a prisoner swap between the US and Russia, an act that the White House has described as a step towards easing diplomatic relations and an end to the war in Ukraine.
The United States and other Western governments have accused the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin of arresting Western citizens on fabricated or exaggerated charges and holding them as "hostages" so that it can then trade them with the United States and other countries./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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