Blinken says US 'actively engaged' with Russia over potential prisoner swap

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on Sunday said that the US is 'actively' working to free Brittney Griner from Russia. Bien administration has been working almost "every day" on freeing WNBA star Brittney Griner and retired US Marine Paul Whelan from Russian custody, Blinken noted at a White House briefing. According to Blinken, the US made a "substantial proposal" to Russia aimed at securing the release of Griner, a WNBA star, and Whelan.

A potential swap of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer

A potential exchange speculated in the coming months, would involve a swap of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who was imprisoned in the US for 25 years for conspiring to sell weapons to terror groups who aimed to kill Americans. Griner was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) at a Moscow airport in February for possession of a small quantity of cannabis oil. She was sentenced to nine years in prison and transferred to a "remote" penal colony last month. Human rights advocates warned that the penal colony is known for harsh conditions and violent criminals and is located in a remote region once synonymous with the Soviet gulag. 

WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist, at a Russian court, pleaded guilty, saying that she had been prescribed cannabis for pain and had no criminal intent to bring it into the Russian territory. After her appeal was rejected, she was taken to the IK-2 colony in Mordovia, a region 350 kilometers (210 miles) southeast of Moscow. 

During a press conference earlier, John Kirby stated that a serious proposal with Russia for the prisoner swap was underway,  “What I can tell you is that we put forth a serious proposal.  And I know everybody is making some assumptions here about what that proposal is; I won’t go into detail about it," the US National Security Advisor had noted. He further stated that US was offering a prisoner swap involving Russia’s Viktor Bout, known as the “merchant of death." US President Joe Biden had labelled the ruling of Griner's imprisonment as "unacceptable". Biden issued a statement saying, “Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It's unacceptable and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates.”