 On 20 August 2008, in his briefing to the United Nations Security Council, the Under-Secretary-General of the UN appeared to link the decision to release 200 Palestinian prisoners to the case, though a Hamas spokesman saw it as an attempt to increase Palestinian internal divisions by releasing only those loyal to the Fatah faction.On 11 May 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for Shalit to be freed "as soon as possible".He made the call while meeting Hamas leaders in Damascus, Syria.