Brittney Griner’s release followed months of what the White House called 'painstaking, extraordinary' negotiations between the Biden administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.
U.S. officials weren’t allowed to meet with Griner until March 23.
The U.S. first proposed the swap for Bout, a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” over the summer. Bout was scheduled for release from prison in 2029. Richardson said he met with Russian"counterparts, conduits" and officials while working closely with Griner's family, including her wife and father.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre drove this point home during Thursday's press briefing:"It was a choice between bringing home one American or bringing home none." “Her release gives Putin an opening to appear magnanimous and, this is crucial, back in control of a war that he’s not been able to steer his direction since February,” Schmidt said in an emailed comment.Texas U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned that trading Bout for Griner “will only embolden Vladimir Putin to continue his evil practice of taking innocent Americans hostage for use as political pawns.
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