In a rare meeting,the US offers Russia a prisoner in exchange for Griner or Whelan.
The U.s has offered Russia an agreement to bring aside WNBA star Brittney Griner and another imprisoned American.
State Secretary Antony Blinken declared Paul Whelan on Wednesday. In a sharp change from the previous policy,
Blinken also stated that he expects to have his first meeting with his Kremlin counterpart.
since well before Russia invaded Ukraine to talk about the agreement or other issues
Blinken's remarks were the first time the US govt announced publicly any concrete ac
tion it had taken to secure Griner's discharge.
who was taken into custody in Feb on drug-related charges at a Moscow airport an
d testified in her trial on Wednesday
Though it is unsure whether the proposal will be sufficient to persuade R
ussia to publish the Americans,
The general populace acceptance of the deal at a time when the US has previously avoided Russia reflects the mounting pressure.
on the administration's dealing of Griner and Whelan and its determination to return them home
To facilitate their release, we put a significant proposal on the desk several weeks earlier.