Brittney Griner

The US has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony ...

The two last met in person in Geneva in January to discuss what was then Russia’s massive military build-up along Ukraine’s border and Russian demands for NATO to reduce its presence in eastern Europe and permanently deny Ukraine membership. That stance made Wednesday’s announcement all the more startling, but Kirby said the administration had decided to make clear that a deal was on the table. Supporters of his release contend he was jailed after an overly aggressive US sting operation, and the judge who sentenced him told The Associated Press this month that she believed he had already served enough prison time. “There is utility to conveying clear, direct messages to the Russians on key priorities for us,” including the release of Griner and Whelan, he said. Blinken's comments marked the first time the US government has publicly revealed any concrete action it has taken to secure the release of Griner, who was arrested on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport in February and testified Wednesday at her trial. “We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release," Blinken said.

Arms trafficker Viktor Bout reportedly in line for exchange with the WNBA star facing drug charges.

If successful, Whelan and Griner’s prisoner swap would mark the second high-profile exchange between the two adversaries this year. “We talked yesterday on the phone. Whelan has repeatedly denied the charges against him. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. “Now I think a trade is realistic because as far as I understand the Russian side has always been for a trade and in this case, it now appears to be the position of the American side.” Brittney Griner’s defence team have given the prospect of including the WNBA star in a prisoner swap a cautious welcome, as Russia said talks between Moscow and Washington on exchanging prisoners were “ongoing”.

Russian officials said Thursday that negotiations had been taking place for a possible prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, but that a deal ...

Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal." Russian officials said Thursday that negotiations had been taking place for an unspecified possible prisoner swap between the United States and Russia, but that a deal had not yet been reached. A concrete result has not yet been achieved."

The U.S. has reportedly offered to exchange a convicted Russian arms trafficker to bring home the two "wrongfully detained" Americans.

- "Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal," Blinken said Wednesday, though he did not offer specifics as to the terms. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Wednesday that he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "in the coming days" to raise several issues, including the detentions of WNBA star Brittney Griner and other Americans in Russia as well as the recent deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports. Blinken added that he plans to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "in the coming days."

After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US ...

We start all of these with somebody who has taken a human being American and treated them as a bargaining chip," the official said. Biden officials had been concerned the decision to swap Reed for Yaroshenko would be criticized by Republicans. Instead, it won bipartisan praise, including from a handful of Republicans who are normally sharp critics of the administration. The US government has long resisted prisoner swaps, claiming concerns that they only incentivize countries to detain Americans so they can be used as bargaining chips. They said it was in Russia's "court to be responsive to it, yet at the same time that does not leave us passive, as we continue to communicate the offer at very senior levels." These sources told CNN that the plan to trade Bout for Whelan and Griner received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year. We start all negotiations to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained with a bad actor on the other side.

The basketball star is detained in Russia, far from her teammates and loved ones. But there are signs she has held on to her fighting spirit.

Griner’s decision to use photos as a means of expression reveals a deeper message about the uncertainty of her future. A few weeks prior, she was photographed holding another picture of WNBA players wearing her No 42 jersey at this year’s WNBA All-Star game. When American cities were filled with protests in 2020 after the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Griner used her fame to help bring attention to systemic issues that are often faced by marginalized communities.

This week's trial proceedings in Russia over WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention have shed more light on the details of her arrest, including her ...

Griner also told the court she enjoyed playing basketball in Russia during the WNBA's offseason and that her club, UMMC Ekaterinburg, became a second home to her, Blagovolina said. In any case, we would be really happy if Brittney will be able to come home and hope it will be soon," they said. David Whelan, Paul's brother, said in a statement, "Our family appreciates the Biden Administration seeking Paul's release using the resources it has available. She emphasized that she never planned to bring it to Russia and use it," attorney Maria Blagovolina told reporters after the hearing. I never wanted to hurt my team," Griner said. No attorney was present, Griner testified, and she said her rights were not explained to her, which, according to Russian law, should have occurred within three hours.

Her detainment occurred shortly before Russia launched its war in Ukraine, with geopolitical tensions making it undoubtedly more difficult to secure her release ...

He is currently being held in a US penitentiary. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “The president called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other US nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” the White House said in a statement. “He also read her a draft of the letter the president is sending to Brittney Griner today.” ”We believe that this is a serious proposal, and we want the Russians to take it seriously as well.” “I’d like to plead guilty, your honour. Russian monitors also checked in on Ms Griner and reported that she was fine with the exception that the bed in the facility where she is being held was not built for someone of her height. But there was no intent. On 23 March, a diplomatic official was granted access to visit Ms Griner in Russia, and said that she was in ”good condition”. A prisoner swap was reportedly first considered on 15 May, with Ms Griner potentially being returned to the US in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Mr Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials, of delivering anti-aircraft missiles, and of providing aid to a terrorist organisation. Pentagon official Evelyn Farkas has said she fears Ms Griner will be used by Russia as a “ high-profile hostage” with which to secure prisoner exchanges with the US. The trial resumed on 7 July, with Ms Griner clutching a photo of her wife Cherelle as she told a judge she would plead guilty, according to reporters in the courtroom.

Russia on Thursday said there was no deal yet with the United States on swapping detained U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner and a former marine for a ...

"Viktor Bout’s arms trafficking activity and support of armed conflicts have been a source of concern around the globe for decades. He was sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Today, he faces the prospect of life in prison for his efforts to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to terrorists for use in killing Americans." For the two former Cold War foes, now grappling with the worst relations in a generation due to the war in Ukraine, the exchange would mark one of the more extraordinary prisoner swaps in their history.

KHIMKI, Russia – Here are some quotes from Wednesday's testimony by U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to a Russian court trying her for possession of ...

If I had to speculate, if I had to guess on how they ended up in my bags, I was in a rush packing. But I did not intend to smuggle or plan to smuggle anything into Russia. In the seven years that I came back and forth (to Russia), I never brought any substance that needed to be declared. I did not plan or have an intent to bring any cannabis to Russia. I do understand what the charges are against me. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position. I can only assume that they were about the search and the cartridges.

The US made a substantial offer to Russia for WNBA star Brittney Griner. The deal is potentially dangerous, some experts say. But it may be necessary.

“At the same time, we know from past experience the only way to bring people home is through these deals," he said. "Is it fair?" “Yeah, you get her or a couple of people out now,” Saale told USA TODAY recently. And he did just that,” Zachariasiewicz wrote in a recent op-ed for USA TODAY. She also noted Russia is unlikely to accept any deal before Griner's trial ends, which her lawyers predict will occur sometime in August. Griner plead guilty "without intent" earlier this month; the two-time Olympic gold medalist testified Wednesday she accidentally packed vape cartridges filled with cannabis. "No, because fair implies a moral equivalence between these individuals that absolutely does not exist." "We know that such issues are discussed without any such release of information," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a conference call. Any agreement would involve a prisoner swap with Russia or concessions on recent economic sanctions, and CNN reported shortly before Blinken's announcement that the U.S. had offered notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. It was the first public acknowledgement that the highest levels of diplomatic relations were working to bring the WNBA star home. Others believe previous examples of such exchanges demonstrate it's the only way to safely return wrongly detained prisoners. “Be wary.” Publicizing deals to free Americans sets bad precedent and endangers Americans, some say.

The U.S. has made the terms of Brittney Griner's prisoner exchange public, and Russia doesn't like that one bit.

Trading a basketball player and a shoddy low-level spy for an international arms dealer with a ridiculous number of connections who was maybe/probably working for Putin the whole time seems like a pretty good deal. The question of why the U.S. has made this offer is open to debate, and the answer may be that they thought it might put public pressure on the Russians. Blinken even said he plans to speak with the Russian foreign minister soon. At one point, that included the Colombian group FARC, and since those weapons were intended to fight U.S. forces, the Americans got serious. *She had the bad fortune to be arrested a literal week before Russia invaded Ukraine, at a time of truly woeful relations between the U.S. and Russia that included severe economic sanctions. Bout is a former Soviet army colonel and probably a KGB operative who speaks six languages and seems to have spent the two decades after the USSR's dissolution shipping weapons to anyone with the money to buy. No, just kidding: The offer was a 1-for-2 deal, in which the U.S. would release an international arms dealer named Viktor Bout (nickname: "The Merchant of Death") in exchange for Griner and an alleged American spy detained in 2019 named Paul Whelan. As you might imagine, both Bout and Whelan are pretty insane figures in their own ways.

Griner has been "wrongfully detained" in Russia for 161 days since she was arrested at a Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges back in February.

Need more consistency w awareness for unfairly detained Americans overseas," another wrote. "Isn't fair to all those other Americans or their families who have been detained and or died in unfriendly countries. "OK this is out of control.