Russian Arms Dealer "The Merchant of Death" May be Swapped for Brittney Griner

Russia said on Friday that it hoped to reach an agreement with the United States to return convicted Russian weapons trafficker Viktor Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death” in a prisoner swap that would most likely include American basketball star Brittney Griner.

In the midst of Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II, Russia and the United States are discussing a deal in which imprisoned Americans, including Griner, would be exchanged for Bout.

“I want to hope that the prospect not only remains but is being strengthened, and that the moment will come when we will get a concrete agreement,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Interfax.

For the two former Cold War adversaries, who are currently engaged in their most serious conflict since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the exchange would be one of the most extraordinary prisoner swaps in their history.

The upbeat remarks from Ryabkov, the foreign ministry’s point man for the Americas and arms control, contrast with previous Moscow statements warning Washington against engaging in megaphone diplomacy over the prisoner swap.

Griner, who faces nine years in prison in Russia after being convicted on drug charges, and Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year sentence in Russia after being convicted on espionage charges that he denies, could be swapped.

Russia and the US have discussed exchanging Griner and Whelan, a former US Marine, for Bout, but no agreement has been reached amid rising tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to the US State Department, Washington has made a substantial offer that Moscow has “has consistently failed to negotiate in good faith on.”