Russia asks the United States for discretion over possible exchange between Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout
The Russian government has responded to the United States after the start of negotiations for the release of Brittney Griner was publicly revealed.
After US Secretary of State Antony Blinden revealed that the US government had made a proposal to Russia to carry out an exchange involving basketball player Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the Kremlin responded directly to the White House.
Russia to US: Discretion, please
According to reports from the AP agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the US government by asking for discretion in the prisoner exchange process. Peskov said that such negotiations are usually conducted without fanfare.
“We know that these issues are discussed without such disclosure. Normally the public finds out when the agreements are already implemented”, Peskov explained in a press conference by telephone.
Russian Foreign Ministry: No deal yet for Griner release
In addition, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced that no agreement has been reached so far to carry out the release of Griner in exchange for a Russian prisoner in America. This swap could also include former US Marine Paul Wheelan, who is accused of espionage.
“There hasn’t been a concrete result yet. We start from the assumption that the interests of both parties must be taken into account during the negotiations”, explained Zakharova.
These negotiations continue just one day after the American basketball player revealed in her trial before the court in Moscow that she received an incomplete translation of the reasons for her arrest, that she was not offered a lawyer, and that she was not informed of her rights.