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…
