UPDATE 1-Kremlin declines to comment on possible US-Russia prisoner swap involving Gershkovich

When asked by Reuters if an exchange deal involving Gershkovich was possible, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "I'll leave your question unanswered." Speaking earlier on a different question, Peskov said that while communication between Moscow and Washington under Donald Trump's 2017-2021 presidency had been challenging, there had been more dialogue then than under President Joe Biden.

The Kremlin on Friday declined to comment on the possibility of a prisoner swap with the United States involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, whose trial on charges of espionage was due to conclude within hours.

A Russian court unexpectedly said on Friday it would pronounce its verdict at 1200 GMT after state prosecutors demanded an 18-year sentence for Gershkovich, who denies spying. When asked by Reuters if an exchange deal involving Gershkovich was possible, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "I'll leave your question unanswered."

Speaking earlier on a different question, Peskov said that while communication between Moscow and Washington under Donald Trump's 2017-2021 presidency had been challenging, there had been more dialogue then than under President Joe Biden. "We can only repeat that there have been many tensions, many points of tension, many points of contradiction during Mr Trump's presidency, but at least there was dialogue," Peskov told reporters.

Peskov said that by contrast, there was "virtually no" dialogue with the Biden administration. The Kremlin spokesman was speaking the day after Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination at his party's national convention in Milwaukee.

The Kremlin said

earlier this week that while "nothing good was done for Russia" during Trump's presidency, the fact that the countries had dialogue at all was a "positive element." Trump has asserted that he could quickly end the conflict in Ukraine should he be re-elected in November, a claim the Russian Foreign Ministry

said earlier this week should be viewed realistically.

President Vladimir Putin said in February that he preferred a "more predictable"

Biden to Trump as a president, but added that he was willing to work with any U.S. leader. In June, he said the outcome would not make much difference to Russia either way.