CNN announced the exchange of US basketball player Brittney Griner for Russian Viktor Bout
United States basketball player Brittney Griner, who was found guilty of drug smuggling in Russia, was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian convicted in the United States for attempting to illegally trade weapons and support terror. About it informs CNN citing sources.
According to the publication, Greiner is currently in the custody of US officials on his way to the US. It is noted that the American Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage, did not participate in the exchange, he remains in the Russian colony. CNN writes that the Greiner and Whelan families were informed about the exchange.
US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Griner’s wife spoke to the freed American by phone.
In July 2022, Washington offered to exchange Bout for Americans Whelan and Greiner detained in Russia. The entrepreneur has been in custody since 2008. For several months, Russian and American authorities have been negotiating on this issue.
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