Brittney Griner: Will a 'controversial' double prisoner swap help USA free WNBA star?

American basketball player Brittney Griner is being linked with a Washinton Post report that claims that Russia has confirmed that negotiations for a possible prisoner exchange involving Griner are already underway. Recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of WNBA, Griner was detained on February 17 in Moscow, as police said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner has been competing in Russia since 2014 and was returning to the country before getting detained. 

Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in prison

On August 4, Griner was convicted of drug possession and smuggling, which led to a sentence of nine years in prison. The politically charged scene further added to the high tensions between Washington and Moscow over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken then revealed that they are urging Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to accept a prisoner swap deal that will see Griner alongside Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia on espionage, being set free. 

At the same time, the swap deal will also see the United States (US) setting free Viktor Bout. If the swap deal doesn’t pull through, Griner will face nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling. However, the Washington Post report about the deal getting underway comes as welcome news for American nationals.

What has been said so far?

If the reports turn out to be true, it would be the first time that Russia confirmed the potential prisoner swap being started. As reported by the Associated Press, Lavrov and Blinken were in Cambodia last week for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lavrov revealed that Blinken didn’t try to make any kind of contact during the ASEAN meeting. 

“We were separated by just one person at the discussion table, but I didn’t feel his desire to catch me. My buttons are all in place,” the Russian Foreign Minister said. He further added that Moscow is ready to discuss the prisoner swap, given that discussions take place via a dedicated Russia-U.S. channel. “If the Americans again try to engage in public diplomacy and make loud statements about their intention to take certain steps, it’s their business, I would even say their problem. The Americans often have trouble observing agreements on calm and professional work,” he added.

On the other hand, Blinken also shed light on the controversial arrest of Griner when she was returning to play in Russia. Blinken referred to Griner getting a prison sentence of nine years and said this “compounds the injustice that has been done to her”. “It puts a spotlight on our very significant concern with Russia’s legal system and the Russian government’s use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda using individuals as political pawns,” Blinken added.