RIGA, Latvia — Russia said Thursday that no concrete agreement had been reached in prisoner release negotiations with the United States, a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a “substantial proposal” had been made to Moscow to free jailed U.S. nationals WNBA star Brittney Griner and security consultant Paul Whelan.
Russia: No deal yet on releasing Americans Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan
“There are no agreements yet which are finalized,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Blinken on Wednesday said a proposal had been made to the Kremlin “weeks ago” for the release of Griner and Whelan, although he did not specify its terms or if there had been any response. “Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,” he added.
Peskov expressed surprise Thursday at the United States’ break with the diplomatic silence that normally surrounds prisoner release negotiations.
“It is known that while discussing such issues information throw-ins are not normally made,” he told reporters, adding that announcements are normally made “about agreements that have been completed.”
Blinken’s comments have fueled speculation that any deal could be a potential prisoner exchange involving notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, 55, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.”
Bout, whose wild exploits once inspired a Hollywood film starring Nicolas Cage, is serving a 25-year sentence in Illinois for conspiring to kill U.S. nationals and selling weapons to terrorists.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not comment on Thursday on whether Russia was in talks about exchanging Bout for Griner and Whelan.
However, she said Russia’s interests had to be taken into account along with those of the United States, while reiterating that there had not been a “concrete result” in negotiations to free prisoners.
The Kremlin has long pushed for Bout’s release since his arrest in Thailand in 2008, claiming his conviction by a New York court in 2011 was “unlawful.” Blinken would not say whether Bout was part of the deal offered to Russia.
In a stark change of diplomatic behavior, Blinken also said he would be speaking to his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “in the coming days,” in what would be their first call since the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. to discuss the release of the detained Americans, among other pressing issues such as grain and gas.
“There was a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Blinken told reporters. “And I’ll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution.”
If it happens, the prisoner swap would be the second such deal agreed by the Biden administration.
In April, former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, who was convicted in 2020 of assaulting two Russian police officers returned home in exchange for the release of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was jailed on drug-smuggling charges in the United States.
The swap showed Washington and Moscow could still reach some agreements even amid the Ukraine war and efforts by the White House to economically and politically isolate Russia on the world stage.
Griner, 31, who had been playing in a Russian league during the WNBA offseason, has been detained since February on drug charges when Russian authorities found two cannabis oil vape cartridges in her luggage at the airport.
Griner pleaded guilty to the charges this month and told a Moscow court on Wednesday that she had not intended to bring the vape cartridges into Russia, and that she was rushed and stressed while packing. She is next due to appear in court on Aug. 2 and could face up to 10 years in jail.
Whelan, 52, denies the espionage charges against him and says he was framed. His twin brother David Whelan told The Washington Post on Thursday his parents speak to Paul “almost daily” and that it would “mean the world” to his family if he came home.
“He did not call yesterday and so we do not know what he knows. He will most likely have seen something on Russian TV in the labor colony, and other prisoners will translate the Russian for him,” he said.
“We’re grateful that the Biden administration appears to be moving more decisively on the issue of wrongfully detained Americans,” he added.
In the April swap for Reed, Biden outlined the hard 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 grandstanding by American officials on prisoner swaps would only raise tensions and hamper possible interactions on prisoner exchanges.
“We are aware of the attempts by the U.S. to raise tensions publicly and grandstand, but they aren’t helpful in finding a practical solution to the issue,” he told reporters. Ryabkov hinted that there were avenues for discussions on a prisoner exchange, but said this could not happen until the end of formal court proceedings.
Mary Ilyushina and Natalia Abbakumova contributed to this report.
Source: WP
