Biden Offers to Swap Russian Arms Dealer Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan
These seems like a fine deal. Bring our people home!
NewsPolitics

There may be a breakthrough in the ongoing saga that has kept WNBA star Brittney Griner wrongfully detained in a jail cell in Russia for almost six months and counting, after she was apprehended at Sheremetyevo International Airport for possessing vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil.
Griner, who was hoping to earn extra money playing for Russia’s basketball league, was forced to plead guilty to the drug charges levied against her at a hearing in a Russian court earlier this month—a risky move that experts predicted could fast-track her release. And it appears the gamble may have paid off, as it’s being reported that President Joe Biden is trying to bring both Griner and another American citizen, former U.S. marine Paul Whelan (who’s been jailed in Russia since 2018 after receiving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage) home in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, addressing the ongoing negotiations, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the U.S. has made a “substantial proposal” to Russia to ensure the release of Griner and Whelan. “We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal and I’ll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution.”
Blinken didn’t go into details about the proposed exchange of prisoners, but did share his plans to have a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as soon as possible to discuss the particulars of the proposal, with the goal of finalizing the deal that would bring the two detained Americans back home. While remaining optimistic about his chances to successfully secure the release of Griner and Whelan, Blinken remained cautious about the expected outcome. “My hope would be in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he said.