Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would soon propose a date for a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which Blinken said he wanted to discuss an exchange. of prisoners held in prisons in Russia and the United States.
Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington had made a “substantial offer” to obtain the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan, both detained in Russia.
One source said Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, imprisoned in the US, as part of such a deal.
Blinken and Lavrov haven’t spoken since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Families of American detainees are increasing pressure on President Joe Biden, most recently in the case of two-time Olympic gold medalist Griner, who was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport on February 17.
Lavrov told a news conference that negotiations on the prisoner exchange had been ongoing since a summit in Geneva last year, at which Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden agreed to appoint officials to look into the issue.
Speaking during a trip to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said he would speak with Blinken when he returned to his office.
“It is clear that this is unlikely to work today. But in the coming days we will offer our American colleagues a convenient date,” he said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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