Russia to consider prisoner swap for basketballer Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner was on her way to play professional basketball in Russia when she was detained at the airport and arrested on drug charges. The WNBA player has been locked up in a Russian prison since February 2022, and faces up to ten years of incarceration. Diplomatic efforts advocating for Griner’s release have been slow coming, however Russia is now saying that they would be willing to negotiate a prisoner swap with the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference on Friday in Washington D.C. that he had a “frank and direct conversation” with Russia’s foriegn minister, Sergey Lavrov.
“I pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner,” said Blinken.
Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Uzbekistan on Friday that he was willing to listen to the request from the United States.
“I will listen to what he has to say,” Lavrov told Associated Press.
The prisoner swap would see the United States trade Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner’s release. Bout is a convicted Russian arms dealer who was accused of supplying arms to militants, terrorists, and rebels. Former Marine, Paul Whelan, would also be traded if the deal goes through.
Viktor Bout is currently serving a 25 year sentence in an Illinois prison and remains among the most notorious and high profile Russians being detained in American custody. When he was arrested, Bout was caught offering firearms to Drug Enforcement Administration agents that he thought were rebels from Columbia’s Revolutionary Armed Forces in 2008.
Although no additional charges have been brought forth against Bout, it is believed that he has also supplied weapons to Al Qaeda, the Taliban and militia in Rwanda.
Britney Griner had cannabis oil in her luggage upon her arrival in Russia. She pleaded guilty to her charges and is now awaiting sentencing. Conversely, Paul Whelan was detained in 2018 on espionage charges and is currently serving 16 years in a Russian prison.
Should the prisoner swap go ahead, it is believed that both Griner and Whelan would be traded for the release of Viktor Bout. Watch this space as more information about this story unfolds.
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