U.S. Offers to Swap Russian Arms Dealer for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan

The Biden administration has proposed a prisoner swap with Russia that would allow Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan come home, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today, Yahoo News reports. The offer would see notorious Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout be released from a U.S. prison in exchange for the two Americans detainees. Nicknamed the Merchant of Death, Bout is serving 25 years for attempting to sell heavy weaponry to a terror group so it could attack U.S. forces aiding the Colombian government.

The potential trade has been discussed for months, according to CNN, which first reported on the offer today. “We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official told the outlet.

{Matzav.com}