Kremlin poker-faced on U.S. swap offer to free Griner, Whelan
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. made a substantial proposal to release a Russian arms dealer in order to secure the freedom of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.The Kremlin warned Thursday that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.
"We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information," Peskov told reporters during a conference call. "Normally, the public learns about it when the agreements are already implemented."In a separate statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russian and U.S. officials have conducted negotiations about possible prisoner exchanges and "there has been no concrete result yet.
In a sharp reversal of previous policy, Blinken said he expects to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the proposed prisoner deal and other matters. It would be their first phone call since before Russia sent its troops into Ukraine. The 31-year-old has pleaded guilty but said she had no criminal intent in bringing the cartridges to Russia and packed in haste for her return to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBA's offseason. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs.
Her arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of Russia sending troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Griner's five months of detention have raised strong criticism among teammates and supporters in the United States.
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