Russia Says It Will Discuss US Prisoner Swap Offer Involving Brittney Griner
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday he was ready to meet with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to discuss a prisoner exchange deal for NBA star Britney Grenier. Blinken said Wednesday that Washington had offered Russia a deal that would return Grenier and American Paul Whelan. A source familiar with the matter said the US government had offered to trade Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Whelan & Greiner. During a visit to Uzbekistan, Lavrov said his ministry had received an official US summons request following Blinken's announcement. A senior Russian diplomat said he was ready when he returned to Moscow and that the call was planned. Lavrov said he was open to talks about a prisoner exchange, although the State Ministry had not been involved in previous talks on the issue. "I will listen to what has to be said," Lavrov added. Read more about Britney Greiner: Asked about the U.S. proposal on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said t...