“We communicated a significant offer that we believe could be successful based on our history of talks with the Russians,” a senior administration official told CNN on Wednesday. “We announced it a few weeks ago in June.” The official declined to comment on the details of the “substantial offer.” They said that it is in the court of Russia to respond to this, but at the same time this does not leave us passive as we continue to communicate the offer at a much higher level. “It takes two to tango. We start all negotiations to bring home Americans who are being held hostage or wrongfully held with a bad actor on the other side. We start all of this with someone who has taken a human American and treated them as a bargaining chip.” , the official said. “So in some ways it’s not surprising, even if it’s disappointing, when the same actors don’t necessarily respond directly to our offers, don’t engage constructively in negotiations.” Foreign Minister Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that The U.S. presented a “substantive proposal” to Moscow “weeks ago” for Whelan and Griner, described as illegal detainees.The top U.S. diplomat said he intended to discuss the matter in an expected call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this the week. The families of Whelan, who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, who has been jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including through exchange of prisoners, if necessary. , who pleaded guilty in early July but said she unwittingly brought cannabis into Russia, testified in a Russian courtroom Wednesday as part of her ongoing trial on drug charges for which she faces up to 10 years in prison. It is understood that her trial will need to be completed before a deal can be finalized, according to US officials familiar with the Russian court process and the inner workings of US-Russia negotiations. During months of internal discussions between US agencies, the Justice Department opposed the Bout trade, people briefed on the matter say. But Justice officials eventually conceded that a Bout trade has the support of top State Department and White House officials, including Biden himself, sources say. The US government has long resisted prisoner swaps, citing concerns that they only give countries incentives to detain Americans so they can be used as bargaining chips. Advocates disputed those concerns and argued that it is more important that Americans be able to return home. Among senior Biden administration officials, the idea of prisoner exchanges gained new momentum earlier this year after the successful release of Trevor Reed, a former Marine who had been held captive in Russia for more than two years. Reed was exchanged for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot then serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine. Biden officials worried that the decision to swap Reid for Yaroshenko would draw criticism from Republicans. Instead, he won bipartisan praise, including from a handful of Republicans who are usually fierce critics of the administration. That reception, sources say, has led the administration to review all options — including possible trades — to get Whelan and Griner out of Russia. our people at home who will make these painful choices under certain circumstances,” the senior administration official told CNN. Securing their release would also give the White House a much-needed political victory ahead of November’s midterm elections, a point some officials tacitly acknowledged when they spoke privately to CNN. There is also a sense of urgency to bring the two detainees home as the White House faces increasing public scrutiny from the families of Americans held illegally abroad. Biden recently spoke by phone with Griner’s wife, Sherrell, and Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth. This story is breaking and will be updated.
