The United States and Russia confirmed Thursday the prisoner exchange under which U.S. professional basketball player Brittney Griner, imprisoned in Russia on drug trafficking charges, and Viktor Bout, hitherto in a U.S. prison for arms trafficking, have returned to their respective countries.
The player was sentenced to nine years in prison after Russian authorities found cannabis oil during a February search at Moscow airport.
Bout’s release has been confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry to TASS news agency.
«As a result of the efforts made, it was possible to agree with the American side on the organization of Viktor Bout’s exchange for Brittney Griner. The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,» according to the diplomatic department.
U.S. President Joe Biden has confirmed that Griner is «safe» and back in his country after spending «intolerable circumstances» in the Russian prison.
«It is a day we have been waiting for a long time, after arduous negotiations and I want to thank the tireless work of the Administration,» he said at a press conference.
The player «is in good health, but she has lost months of life in an unnecessary trauma», according to the president, who praised the «dignity» exhibited by the athlete during the trial.
«She never asked me for special treatment, simply that she not be forgotten,» said Biden, who also addressed a few words to the family of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, also imprisoned in Russia for espionage.
«We have not forgotten Paul Whelan, unjustly detained in Russia for years,» he said. «We will not give up, we will never give up, and we will continue to negotiate in good faith,» assured the president, who asked the Russian authorities to «guarantee his health» during his stay in prison.
