It has now been more than five months since Brittney Griner was arrested for drug possession (an empty bottle of cannabis oil) at the Moscow airport. Before long the case became an international dispute, with Russia trying to use the Phoenix Mercury player to secure the release of a notorious arms dealer detained in the United States. Now the White House has reportedly finally made a proposal to the Kremlin for the release of Griner and another American prisoner.
According to various U.S. media reports, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered the very arms dealer Victor Bout, known by the nickname of “merchant of death”, in exchange for the release of the two compatriots. Blinken reportedly requested a telematic meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the proposal.
