The US has apparently offered Russia a prisoner swap to bring Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan back to the United States. A “comprehensive offer was put on the table,” Defense Minister Antony Blinken said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Officials at Moscow airport found hashish oil in the luggage of professional basketball player Griner in February, and she is currently on trial. Whelan, a former US Marine turned security firm manager, was arrested in Moscow in 2019 on suspicion of espionage.
According to consistent media reports from those close to the Ministry of Defense, the United States is apparently prepared to release the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and Whelan. His nickname: “Merchant of Death”. The former Soviet officer is said to have illegally equipped autocrats and rebels in numerous countries with weapons.
Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and sentenced to 25 years in prison in New York in 2011, gained worldwide fame through the film “Lord of War” (2005): The story of the protagonist, played by Nicolas Cage, is loosely based on Bout’s activities. Russia has been demanding his release for years.
Griner’s arrest as a means of political leverage
professional athlete against the merchant of death; That’s the shortage of American supply, which is now being debated in the US media – especially since there was a recent prisoner swap between the two countries that sounds similarly unbalanced. In April, the US sent Konstantin Yaroshenko to Russia; He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2011 for allegedly smuggling more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States. Former soldier Trevor Reed, who is said to have attacked a police officer during a bar fight, was released. The US justified the exchange with Reed’s health.
Secretary of State Blinken on Wednesday did not confirm details of the offer or reports that US President Joe Biden was ready to release Bout. He said only that the US government wants to take more action against what it considers to be unlawful detentions: “We want to strengthen the global norm against all these arbitrary detentions; against a really terrible practice.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US government wants to take more action against what it considers to be unlawful detentions.
(Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)
The accusation that Blinken did not voice directly: With Griner’s arrest on February 17, a week before the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Russia wanted to secure political leverage against the US government. It was clear that this arrest would cause a stir because Griner is one of the best basketball players in the world. And that’s how it happened: In the months that followed, numerous celebrities such as basketball player LeBron James or entertainer Amy Schumer called on the President to do more for Griner’s quick release.
The US government only officially spoke of Griner’s illegal arrest on May 4, more than two months after the arrest. Before that, both Griner’s family and fellow players had heard that it was better not to speak publicly so as not to influence negotiations between the two countries.
Blinken wants to talk to Lavrov soon
That didn’t work out for long, public pressure continued to mount, and on July 4, US Independence Day, Griner sent a letter to Biden stating: “I’m sitting here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without protection my wife, my family, my friends. I am grateful for everything you can do right now to bring me home. I am very afraid that I will have to stay here forever.” Regarding Biden’s reply, the contents of which are not publicly known, Griner’s wife, Cherelle, said she was pleased that the president was doing whatever it takes to secure his release. That, of course, also increased the pressure on Biden.
In the US, there are two interpretations of the prisoner swap rumored to be: CNN quotes a government official as saying that the imprisoned Americans are being treated as a “cheat”. The offer and the exchange in April could serve as an indication to other nations that the US is willing to accept unbalanced deals to bring compatriots home. However, according to the other interpretation, that is the top priority, and the offer is not as unbalanced as Politico magazine, for example, stated at the beginning of July: Due to his 14 years in prison, Bout has lost his network anyway.
Blinken did not comment on this; he only said that he wanted to speak to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the phone this week: “My hope is that through this conversation we can move forward with the release.” It is important to communicate directly with Russia again. The last direct conversation between Blinken and Lavrov had taken place before the war.