US Secretary State Anthony Blinken on Wednesday revealed about US’ “substantial” proposal to Russia for bringing Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan back home. Here’s all you need to know.
Brittney Griner Prisoner Swap: All you need to know
Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State revealed that the US made a “substantial” prisoner swap proposal to Russia. The WNBA star was wrongfully detained and Paul Whelan is serving a sentence in Russia. According to a CNN report, the US offered Viktor “The Merchant of Death” Bout to Russia. Bout is a Russian arms dealer. He is serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to sell weapons to people planning to kill Americans. Blinken added he will be engaging with Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister. “My hope would be that in speaking to Foreign Minister Lavrov, I can advance the efforts to bring them home,” he stated.
As per Bilken’s statement, President Biden is directly involved with the ongoing negotiations and signed off on the offer. President Biden “signs off on any proposal that we make, certainly when it comes to Americans who are being arbitrarily detained abroad, including in this specific case. There is utility in sending clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us. These include the return of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, and following through on the grain agreement,” he added.
More on the negotiations
Since the start of her trial on July 1, Brittney Griner was seen in court on Wednesday for the sixth time. She was detained on charges of carrying vape cartridges with marijuana on February 17. The detention is authorized until December 20, regardless of the verdict. On the other hand, Whelon is serving a 16-year long sentence since 2018 for espionage charges.
The WNBA star testified on Wednesday for the first time. Hence, Jon Kirby, the national security spokesman for the White House signaled it as a good time for sharing their efforts. “No decision to talk about these issues is made lightly. We think through every step so carefully. I can promise you this decision to talk about it was made in the same vein and in the context of what’s going on in both cases,” stated Kirby.
“We’re grateful that the Biden Administration is looking for ways to bring Paul home. The public announcement of a concession of any kind seems pretty extraordinary to me. I’ve not heard of one being made prior to it being accepted. Hopefully Foreign Minister Lavrov, and President Putin will also be open to the offer. It would be great to have Paul home,” said David Whelan, Paul’s brother.
