U.S. looks to swap former auto supplier executive, WNBA star Griner for Russian arms dealer

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he intends to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about a “substantial” deal to free imprisoned Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, and a person familiar with the offer said it would swap them for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Blinken’s planned engagement with Lavrov, announced in comments to reporters Wednesday, would come amid continuing sharp exchanges over the war in Ukraine. Blinken spoke with Lavrov on Feb. 15 and then canceled a planned meeting with his counterpart two days before Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24. They haven’t spoken since.

Whelan, a former BorgWarner Inc. global security chief, was convicted of spying in 2020 and has been in Russian custody far longer -- since 2018. President Joe Biden spoke with Whelan’s sister this month, pledging to continue working for his release and that of other Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

The Biden administration has declined to comment on whether it would agree to release Bout, a Russian arms dealer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US, as part of a swap for women’s basketball star Griner and Whelan, a former U.S. Marine. The U.S. previously had spurned the possibility of an exchange to free Bout, saying he was guilty of extensive illicit arms sales.

The U.S. already has offered a swap for Bout but Moscow so far hasn’t accepted it, according to the person familiar with the proposal, who asked not to be identified discussing the negotiations. CNN reported earlier Wednesday that handing over Bout was part of the pending offer.

Blinken declined to comment on Bout, saying only that Biden is willing to make “tough decisions” to free imprisoned Americans. At the White House, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters, “I’m not going to negotiate this thing in public, and I’m not going to talk about specific individuals.”

Griner, a player for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury who plays for a Russian team during the off-season, was arrested in February after Russian customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner pleaded guilty to smuggling charges this month, saying the infraction was unintentional, in a move that could pave the way for a prisoner exchange.

On July 15 The Wall Street Journal reported that her defense lawyers said Griner had a doctor's perscription to use marijuana for medical purposes.

“We put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release,” Blinken said Wednesday of Griner and Whelan. “Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal.”

Blinken said he intends to use the conversation with Lavrov “to follow up personally and, I hope, move us toward a resolution.”

Relatives of both Whelan and Griner have criticized the Biden administration over the length of their family members’ detentions and Washington’s apparent inability to secure their release.

On the war in Ukraine, Blinken predicted that Russia’s next move will be to conduct “sham” referendums in captured Ukrainian territory. The top U.S. diplomat said the war has “weakened Russia profoundly” despite President Vladimir Putin’s claims of success.