CNN: US 'Frustrated' by Russia Giving No Substantial Response to Prisoner Swap Offer

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is frustrated that Moscow has not provided a meaningful response to its proposal for a prisoner swap, CNN reported on Thursday, citing US officials.

The proposal was reportedly made in June but Washington has not received any substantial response so far.

CNN reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration is offering to exchange Russian citizen Viktor Bout for Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said later that the US has made a substantial proposal to Moscow to facilitate the release of the two American citizens, adding that the two governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal.

Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there is no agreement between Russia and the US on any possible exchange of prisoners.

On February 17, basketball player Griner was detained at a Moscow airport for carrying cannabis oil in her luggage. If convicted, the athlete would face a prison sentence of up to 10 years. Griner has pleaded guilty but insisted that she had no intention of committing a crime and was packing in a hurry.

Whelan is serving his prison sentence in Russia's Mordovia region after a Moscow court sentenced him in June 2020 to 16 years on charges of espionage. He has denied the charges but did not challenge the verdict in the hope of being part of a potential prisoner exchange between the US and Russia.

The charges in Whelan's case were not disclosed, but a press release from Russia's Federal Security Service said he was detained in Moscow in late 2018 during a counter-espionage operation.