Russia believes that the prisoner exchange between the US and Iran will not radically change the relations between the two nations, according to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
Speaking to the Sputnik news agency, Ryabkov stressed there is no direct correlation between the recent prisoner swap between the US and Iran and the resumption of dialogue over the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
However, he emphasized that mutual understanding remains possible.
The diplomat noted that Russia is ready to resume work on the JCPOA in Vienna if Western colleagues demonstrate common sense.
Last July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was skeptical that the nuclear deal would be revived, stating that expectations of any additional agreements to revive the pact were unrealistic under current circumstances with little more than a year to go until the 2024 US presidential election.
The release of the five prisoners last week was part of a rare exchange deal between Washington and Tehran, which included the release of assets worth $6 billion frozen by South Korea, a US ally.
Earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had visited Tehran, where he held discussions with the country's top security official and met with the Chief of Staff and his Iranian counterpart.
Shoigu toured the Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) aerospace exhibition in Tehran.
After Western sanctions were imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Tehran and Moscow have strengthened their bilateral ties, especially in the military domain.
Last month, Ryabkov stated that Russia's military cooperation with Iran would not be subject to geopolitical pressures following a report that Washington had asked Tehran to stop selling drones to Moscow.
Iran had admitted to sending drones to Russia, which denies using them in Ukraine. Tehran asserted that such shipments were made before Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
