Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that any negotiations on a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needed to be discreet and that “megaphone diplomacy” would not bring results.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Washington had made a “substantial offer” to Moscow to release US citizens detained in Russia. One source said the United States was willing to trade convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.”
Brittney Griner appears in Russian court after US makes exchange offer
American basketball star Brittney Griner was retried in a Russian court on Tuesday as the United States sought to secure her release with a prisoner swap to help her avoid up to 10 years in prison on drug charges. .
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and star of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 with vaporizer cartridges containing hash oil in her luggage.
Russia said there was still no deal and that Griner was unlikely to be traded until there was a verdict, which could be in mid-August.
Griner, 31, pleaded guilty to the charges against her but denied that he intended to break Russian law.
Wearing a simple khaki T-shirt and round-rimmed glasses, Griner was ushered into court by police at the Khimki District Court on the outskirts of Moscow. Griner held up personal photos before sitting in the defendant’s cage.
The two-time Olympic champion testified last week that she couldn’t understand how the vape cartridges ended up in her luggage, speculating that she inadvertently packed them as she hurried out.
Griner was on his way to join his team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, for the playoffs after spending time at home in the United States.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
