U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia has been given a prisoner swap offer for WNBA star Brittney Griner. It would bring Griner home along with another jailed American, Paul Whelan. The U.S. government proposed trading convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in return. Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” is one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.
No deal has been accepted by Russia thus far, and when asked about the U.S. offer, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied that prisoner swaps “were typically negotiated discreetly behind the scenes.”
“We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information,” Peskov said. “Normally, the public learns about it when the agreements are already implemented.”
A source familiar with the situation confirmed the U.S. was willing to exchange Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25 year-prison sentence in the United States, as part of a deal. President Joe Biden has reportedly already signed-off on the deal if Russia were to accept.
Brittney Griner has been detained in a Russian prison since February after her arrest at the Moscow airport charged with smuggling drugs into the country after cannabis products were found in her luggage.
Reuters contributed to this article.
