WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner (photo: Lorie Shaull – CC License)
BREAKING: Russia has confirmed for the first time that it’s negotiating with the U.S. regarding a possible prisoner swap deal to bring Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home.
https://t.co/ApQDDTf9M5 — Axios (@axios) August 11, 2022
From Axios:
The news comes after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed last week that Russia was “ready to discuss” a potential deal.
A Russian court found Griner guilty on drug charges last week and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 for allegedly possessing classified information. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared the U.S. had proposed a “substantial proposal” to secure Whelan and Griner’s release. It was later reported that the U.S. was considering convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout to Russia as part of the deal. Russia bristled at the idea that the U.S. was sharing details and not keeping info of a possible deal secret.
Russia today confirmed for the first time that negotiations are underway for a prisoner exchange to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan. But a Kremlin spokesman warned Washington to do it quietly and not to use “the megaphone method.”https://t.co/GfwO1cRiLE
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 11, 2022
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