Comment RIGA, Latvia — Russia said Thursday that no concrete agreement has been reached in prisoner release negotiations with the United States, a day after Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said a “substantial proposal” had been made to Moscow to release two imprisoned Americans: WNBA star Brittney Griner and security consultant Paul Whelan. “There are no agreements finalized yet,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Blinken said Wednesday that an offer was made to the Kremlin “weeks ago” to release Griner and Whelan, though he did not elaborate on its terms or say whether there had been a response. “Governments have contacted us repeatedly and directly about this proposal,” he added. US offers deal to Russia to release Brittney Griner as she testifies in Moscow Peskov expressed surprise Thursday at the United States’ break with the diplomatic silence that usually surrounds prisoner release negotiations. “It is known that when discussing such matters, information is not usually leaked,” he told reporters, adding that announcements are usually made “about deals that have been completed.” WNBA star Brittney Griner testified July 27 at her trial in Moscow on drug charges. She said she was not read her rights when she was detained in February. (Video: Reuters) Blinken’s comments have fueled speculation about a possible prisoner swap involving notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, 55, nicknamed the “Death Merchant”. Booth, whose exploits once inspired a Hollywood movie starring Nicolas Cage, is serving a 25-year sentence in Illinois for conspiring to kill American citizens and selling weapons to terrorists. His wife, Alla Bout, wrote that their family “will keep our fingers crossed and believe that we will soon see Viktor home.” He expressed hope in a post Thursday on VKontakte, Russia’s version of Facebook. However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova would not comment Thursday on whether Russia is in talks to swap Bout with Griner and Whelan. But he said Russia’s interests must be taken into account alongside those of the United States, while reiterating that no “concrete result” has been achieved in negotiations to release prisoners. The Kremlin has pushed for Bout’s release since his arrest in Thailand in 2008, arguing that his conviction by a New York court in 2011 was “illegal”. Blinken did not say whether Bout was part of the deal offered to Russia. Who Is Victor Butt, Russian Arms Dealer Overseeing Rumored Prisoner Swap? In a radical shift in diplomatic demeanor, Blinken also said he would speak to his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “in the coming days.” It would be their first call since Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, and would be to discuss the release of American detainees, among other pressing issues such as the availability of grain and natural gas. “There was a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release,” Blinken told reporters. “And I’m going to use the conversation to personally continue and hopefully move us toward a resolution.” If it happens, the prisoner swap would be the second such deal brokered by the Biden administration. In April, former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, who was convicted in 2020 of attacking two Russian police officers, returned home in exchange for the release of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was jailed on drug-trafficking charges in the United States. The exchange showed that Washington and Moscow could still reach some deals even amid the war in Ukraine and the White House’s efforts to isolate Russia economically and politically on the world stage. The proposal for Griner, Whelan follows the history of US-Russia prisoner exchanges Griner, 31, who played in a Russian league during the WNBA’s offseason, has been detained since February on drug charges after Russian authorities found two cartridges of cannabis vapor oil in her luggage at Moscow airport. Griner pleaded guilty to the charges this month and told a Moscow court on Wednesday that she did not intend to bring the vapor cartridges to Russia and that she was rushed and pressured while preparing the cartridges. He is next due in court on August 2 and could face up to 10 years in prison. Whelan, 52, denies the spying charges against him and says he was framed. His twin brother, David Whelan, told The Washington Post on Thursday that his parents talk to Paul “almost every day” and that it would mean the world to his family if he came home. “He didn’t call yesterday, so we don’t know what he knows. He will probably have seen something on Russian TV in the labor camp and other prisoners will translate the Russian for him,” said David Whelan. “We are grateful that the Biden administration appears to be moving more decisively on the issue of wrongfully imprisoned Americans,” he added. Whelan’s lawyer, Olga Karlova, also told The Post Thursday that they had not been informed of any prisoner exchange. However, he said his legal team was “very happy and waiting with bated breath” for news of any potential exchange. In the April exchange for Reed, Biden described the difficult choices that come with prisoner exchanges. “The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly,” Biden said at the time. Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that US officials’ deference to prisoner exchanges would heighten tensions and hinder potential interactions in prisoner exchanges. This American teacher is also sitting in a Russian prison, worried that no one cares “We are aware of the efforts of the US to raise tensions publicly and take a stand, but they are not helping to find a practical solution to the issue,” he told reporters. Ryabkov hinted that there are avenues for discussions about a prisoner exchange, but said that could not happen until the end of the formal court process. Suliman reported from London. Mary Ilyushina and Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
