US proposes prisoner swap with Russia

The US has offered Russia a rare prisoner swap deal to free American basketball player Brittney Griner and a former US marine with British citizenship in exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer. Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, last night confirmed the US had communicated a “substantial offer” to Moscow in order to bring home the basketball star Griner and former marine Paul Whelan although he declined to disclose what the deal would entail.

THE US has offered Russia a rare prisoner swap to free Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, and a former US marine with British citizenship in exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, last night confirmed the US had communicated a “substantial offer” to Moscow in order to bring home Griner and Paul Whelan, a former marine, although he declined to go into detail.

But US media reported the plan, approved by President Joe Biden, was to hand over Viktor Bout, an arms trafficker jailed for 25 years in the US.

Mr Blinken said he intended to discuss the matter during a call with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, in what would be their first conversation since the invasion of Ukraine.

The families of Whelan, who has been held for alleged espionage since 2018, and Griner, who was jailed in Moscow for drug possession in February, have urged the White House to secure their release, via a prisoner exchange if necessary.

Griner, 31, appeared in a Russian court yesterday to claim she did not intend to smuggle drugs and did not know how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage, as she had packed hastily while under stress and recovering from Covid.

The Texan sportswoman, who was due to play in Russia during America’s off-season, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Feb 17 and found to have cannabis-infused vape cartridges in her bag. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

“I take responsibility, but I did not intend to smuggle … [cannabis oil] to Russia,” Griner told the court. I still don’t understand … how [the cartridges] ended up in my bags.” Griner’s lawyers said she had been prescribed medicinal cannabis to treat her “severe chronic pain” owing to basketball injuries. They told the court the remedy was widely used in the US because it had fewer side effects than some painkillers. Her case resumes next week.

‘I take responsibility, but I did not intend to smuggle [cannabis oil]. I don’t know how it ended up in my bags’