A senior Russian diplomat revealed that the US and Russia have come close to making a deal for a prisoner swap for WNBA star Brittney Griner and US marine Paul Whelan, and one might still be possible before next year, igniting some hope.
The US government has been trying for several months now to negotiate with Russia for the release of the Americans in Russian prisons.
Elizabeth Rood, with the US Embassy in Russia, told a Russian news outlet that there were talks about releasing Griner and Whelan, but Moscow has yet to respond seriously to proposals.
According to Rood, the United States has already submitted a proposal, followed up on it, and even given alternative suggestions. The Russian government is yet to provide the US with a serious response to their proposals.
However, Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister for Russia, told reporters that there is always a chance for a prisoner swap before the year ends.
Ryabkov told reporters that there were a few times that the two countries almost decided in favor of a prisoner swap, but it never happened.
The diplomat also said his ministry was not currently engaged in discussions about a prisoner release or swap with the US government.
He noted that if the countries agreed to a prisoner swap, it would send a message that diplomatic relations between Russia and the US were not hopeless. Adding such a message would be appropriate if the two countries could work it out.
The diplomat asked the US to engage in discreet discussions about the issue and stop making public statements. He said that the US government had been using what he termed “loudspeaker diplomacy” instead of a quiet one, adding that the US’ loudspeaker diplomacy was not helping them do business.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison earlier this month for drug possession. After her sentencing, Russian authorities moved her to a penal colony in Mordovia, about 210 miles from Moscow. She is meant to serve her nine-year sentence there after a Russian Court rejected her appeal requests for the August conviction.
Griner, a WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medal winner, was detained in February after customs agents at the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow found cannabis oil and vape canisters in her luggage.
During the trial, Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her bag but said she packed them in a hurry to get to the airport and did not mean to break the law. Her lawyers also presented evidence that she had a prescription for cannabis oil to treat chronic pain.
Paul Whelan, a former US marine, is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges.
Washington has reportedly offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, serving a 25-year imprisonment in the US for weapons trafficking. On November 18, Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said that he hoped the prisoner swap would secure the release of the convicted arms dealer.