Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap.
, the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, CBS News learned early Thursday from a U.S. official. The one-for-one exchange agreement negotiated with Moscow in recent weeks was given final approval by President Biden within just the last week, according to sources familiar with the deal.
Notably, the Griner-for-Bout exchange leaves retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan imprisoned in Russia. Whelan has been in Russian custody for nearly four years. He was convicted on espionage charges that the U.S. has called false. It remains unclear what led to the breakthrough, but the Biden administration made at least one concession by agreeing to reduce the swap to one American for one Russian.
"The other side gets a vote in this. It's not just what we want. It's what they're prepared to do," Blinken said, without denying the Russian reports. However, he indicated the administration was continuing to push for the return of both Americans.In July, the Biden administration said it had offered the Kremlin what it described as a"significant proposal" to bring both American prisoners home. The White House never publicly confirmed what the U.S.
Prior to his arrest, Bout was accused by the U.N. of arming Liberian President Charles Taylor during the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone. He served as the inspiration for Nicholas Cage's character in the movie"Lord of War." Bout's release is sure to spark criticism from some of the DEA agents who tracked and arrested him.
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