Russia declared itself on Friday “ready” to discuss at the presidential level a prisoner exchange with the United States, the day after the sentence to nine years of imprisonment of the American female basketball star Brittney Griner.
The player is plunged into a geopolitical crisis
The player, convicted by a Russian court in a controversial “drug trafficking” case, found herself despite herself plunged into the geopolitical crisis between Washington and Moscow, in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Russian diplomacy has repeated that the exchange of the double Olympic champion could be fully discussed once the verdict has been passed. “We are ready to discuss this subject, but only within the framework of the (communication) channel that was agreed by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
“There is a special channel, which is agreed by the presidents, and despite some public statements, this channel retains all its relevance,” he continued, during a press conference from Cambodia.
“If the Americans still decide to engage in public diplomacy and make resounding statements (…) that is their business, and even their problem”, added Mr. Lavrov, believing that Washington “cannot arrive “to work “calmly and professionally” on many subjects.
The White House on Thursday “urged” Russia to accept its “serious offer” of exchanges to bring Ms Griner home.
An exchange of prisoners in sight
Last week, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken and Mr. Lavrov had their first discussions since the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.
Blinken said he pressed his counterpart to accept Washington’s “substantial offer” to Moscow to secure the release of Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage.
According to several American media, it would be a question of exchanging a famous Russian arms trafficker detained in the United States, Viktor Bout, against Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
Free Griner from a Russian prisoner, arms trafficker, in the United States
Mr. Bout, arrested in Thailand in 2008 and serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States, is nicknamed the “merchant of death”. His extraordinary career was one of the inspirations for the film “Lord of War” in which Nicolas Cage plays a cynical arms dealer.
The arms dealer’s wife, Alla Bout, also said Thursday that she hoped for an exchange, expressing her “compassion” towards those close to Brittney Griner. “May God ensure that our countries find an agreement,” Ms. Bout told the Ria-Novosti news agency.
Brittney Griner claims to use cannabis as a painkiller
A Russian court sentenced American women’s basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday for drug trafficking, a heavy sentence that sparked outrage, especially in the sports world.
She had been arrested in February at a Moscow airport with cannabis-based vaping liquid. She admitted to having been in possession of this substance, however claiming to have brought it to Russia inadvertently and to use it legally in the United States as a painkiller.
One of the best basketball players in the world
Aged 31 and measuring 2.06 meters, Griner is considered one of the best basketball players in the world. She had come to Russia to play during the American offseason, a common practice for WNBA basketball players who often earn more money abroad than in the United States.
Source: Europe1
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