The State Department has been negotiating with Russia for weeks to arrange a prisoner trade that would bring WNBA star Brittney Griner and US Marine Paul Whelan home.
Russian officials on Thursday responded to reports from the Biden administration that a “substantial proposal” was offered to release Brittney Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, but claimed that no deal has been finalized.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that while the Kremlin and US officials have engaged in negotiations, “there has been no concrete result yet.”
Rebekah Koffler, a Russian-born former US intelligence officer said, “Putin knows that President Biden is under pressure to bring these Americans home, amid his domestic popularity dropping rapidly — he will almost certainly try to squeeze concessions from the Biden administration. Putin is in no hurry to accept Washington’s proposal.”
The basketball player has been detained on drug-related charges since February. She pleaded guilty to drug-smuggling charges earlier this month, but said that she had no intent to violate Russian law. She acknowledged she had vape cartridges containing cannabis in her possession. She could face up to 10 years in prison.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also working on a proposal to the Russian government to release American Paul Whelan. Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on allegedly fake espionage charges. The US government has denounced the charges.
Blinken said during a press conference that the Biden administration made the proposal weeks ago and is hoping to speak to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the first time since February, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
There is speculation that the prisoner swap could involve a Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.” He is serving a 25-year sentence in the US after being convicted of a conspiracy to kill US citizens and aide terrorist organizations.
National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said, “I can tell you that it’s topmost in the president’s mind, as is the fate of Americans who are unjustly detained around the world, not just in Russia. Certainly, there’s a lot of focus on Mr. Whalen and Mrs. Griner. We understand that. And we’re working very, very hard on both their cases. So, I mean, the short answer is we sure hope that the Russians will accept this proposal and that we can get these Americans back home to their families where they belong.”
