Thursday 28 July 2022 03:39 AM US has made 'substantial offer' to Russia to free Brittney Griner, Antony ... trends now
America has made a 'substantial' offer to Russia to free basketball star Brittney Griner, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
Blinken spoke as Griner told a Moscow court that she'd ignored a travel advisory not to travel to Russia in February because she didn't want to let her Russian teammates down.
The lawmaker declined to say what the United States was offering in return for the release of both Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, who's been in jail for spying since 2018.
But Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council John Kirby confirmed a CNN report that Washington was willing to exchange Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25 year-prison sentence in the United States, as part of a deal.
Blinken confirmed the deal also included freeing former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Moscow in 2018 on espionage charges, and sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison in 2020.
'There was a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal,' Blinken told reporters, 'And I'll use the conversation to follow up personally and I hope move us toward a resolution.'
WNBA star Brittney Griner arriving at a hearing in Moscow on July 27. In court she said she overlooked the United States' travel advisory and flew to Russia in February because she didn't want to let her team down
Former US Marine Paul Whelan behind bars while waiting for a hearing after his arrest in Moscow in 2018
Griner, a US citizen who has played for a Russian basketball team in the WNBA off-season since 2015, was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 when a vape contained hashish cannabis oil was found in her bag.
Cannabis is illegal in Russia, with no exceptions made for medicinal treatment.
Speaking in a Russian courtroom on Wednesday, Griner explained why she flew to Russia despite the travel advisory the US issued against the country during its build-up to the invasion of Ukraine - which began six days after her arrest.
She has previously admitted drug charges, with the ongoing trial now set to decide what sentence she should face.
'It's the most important part of the season, after the break. It's playoffs. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position,' Griner said, 'There was nothing that was going to change that for me. I didn't want to let my team down.'
'I did know about the 'do not fly' advisory, but like I said, there was nothing that was going to change my mind on coming back and finishing my duty for my team,' she continued.
Speaking in a Russian courtroom on Wednesday, Griner explained why she flew to Russia despite the travel advisory the US issued against the country during its build-up to the invasion of Ukraine - which began six days after her arrest
Griner, a US citizen who has played for a Russian basketball team in the WNBA off-season since 2015, was arrested at a Moscow airport on February 17 when a vape contained hashish cannabis oil was found in her bag
Griner also explained why she had the marijuana with her, saying she used it as a side-effect free way of soothing years of sports-injuries.
'Because of my injuries that I've had over the long career of basketball. From my spine, no cartilage in my knee. I was in a wheelchair for four months. I broke my ankle and I also sprained my knee really bad. So I was wheelchair-bound,' she testified.
'The benefits from medical cannabis definitely
