President Joe BidenHas not stopped trying to bring about changes. Brittney GrinerBack home.
His administration reportedly offered Russia a deal to exchange convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout—who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S.—for the release of the WNBA athlete and Paul Whelan, multiple sources told CNN. The exchange, which has been in discussion since June, has received Biden’s support, per the outlet.
CNN was told by an anonymous top administration official that they had made a significant offer and believed it could succeed based on past conversations. That was communicated a couple of weeks ago in June.
Official explained that trade only would be possible if Russia “responsible to it”. He also stated, “At the other time, that does not leave me passive. As we continue communicating the offer at extremely senior levels.”
At a press conference on July 27, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. had “put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate” the release of Brittney and Paul, per NBC News. While he didn’t share any additional information, the Secretary of State announced that he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the next few days.