Wednesday 22 June 2022 02:08 PM Russia says US embassy has NOT had any communication with the White House over ... trends now
Russia's US Ambassador has declared its embassy has received no communications from the White House regarding two Americans being held captive for fighting in Ukraine.
Anatoly Antonov, the head of the diplomatic mission, made the assertion Tuesday while speaking to journalists from the state-owned Russian News Agency (TASS).
The statement from the ambassador contradicted claims from the US State Department made earlier in the day, that officials had been in talks with the Kremlin about the imprisoned Americans.
Meanwhile, Moscow has said it can not guarantee the lives of Alex Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, who were captured by state-backed forces during fighting in Kharkiv on June 11.
The men - who are being treated as mercenaries by the state - are believed to still be alive, and recently appeared in videos released to the internet by state-owned media.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, continues to insist that it is doing 'everything' possible to bring Drueke and Huynh home safely.
Anatoly Antonov, the head of the diplomatic mission, made the assertion Tuesday while speaking to journalists from the state-owned Russian News Agency (TASS)
Moscow has said it can not guarantee the lives of Alex Drueke (left) and Andy Huynh (right), who were captured by state-backed forces during fighting on June 11. This undated photo of the two was uploaded Thursday - a day before the state released a video of the pair
Antonov, however, says otherwise - according to state media.
'There were no requests to the embassy. I do not confirm receiving a request of this kind from the US side,' the ambassador was quoted as saying by TASS.
'The embassy did not contact us.'
Earlier in the day, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the White House had been 'in touch' with Moscow about the captives.
'We have been in touch with Russian authorities regarding U.S. citizens who may have been captured while fighting in Ukraine,' Price told reporters around 2:30 pm ET.
He added that the agency had 'also been in touch with our Ukrainian partners, with the ICRC, with other countries, as well as with the families of Americans who have been reported missing in Ukraine.
'We have both publicly as well as privately called on the Russian Government and its proxies to live up to their international obligations in their treatment of all individuals, including those captured fighting in Ukraine,' Price, 39, said.
Drueke, 39, left, and Andy Huynh, 27, appeared terrified in footage released by Russian forces where they identified themselves and denounced war. They men went missing last week after their platoon in Ukraine was ambushed by Russian soldiers
'We expect – and in fact, international law and the law of war expects and requires – that all those who have been captured on the battlefield be treated humanely and with respect and consistent with the laws
