In an interview with NBC aired on Monday, Putin said that he was ready to discuss a prisoner exchange with the United States. He also noted that the US prison administration ignored Yaroshenko's health problems.
"Of course, hope [for prisoner exchange] has emerged," Victoria said, commenting on the Russian president's interview.
The two presidents will hold the landmark meeting in Switzerland's Geneva on Wednesday. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday that Putin and Biden were expected to discuss unresolved diplomatic issues in bilateral relations, including the practice of arresting Russian citizens in third countries.
The pilot was arrested in Liberia back in 2010 on suspicion of drug trafficking and later extradited to the US. In 2011, a US court sentenced Yaroshenko to 20 years in prison for allegedly taking part in a conspiracy to smuggle a large amount of drugs into the country. The Russian citizen pleads not guilty.
