US and Russia swap high-profile prisoners

Russia and the US have conducted a high-level prisoner swap, involving businessman Viktor Bout and WNBA star Brittney Griner.

On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the two individuals have been exchanged in Dubai. Bout had been in a US prison for 11 years serving a 25-year term, while Griner was sentenced to a penal colony in Russia on drug smuggling charges.

The swap took place at Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates, following lengthy negotiations between the two countries, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry .

“Washington categorically refused to discuss including the Russian national in the exchange scheme. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation continued to actively work on rescuing our compatriot,” the ministry noted.

US President Joe Biden has already spoken with Griner by phone, according to media reports. Both Griner and Bout were pardoned by their respective nations before the swap, which means they won’t need to continue serving their terms at home, TASS reported.

Speaking at the White House shortly after the exchange, Biden lauded the efforts of US officials involved in negotiations with Moscow, vowing to “never give up” on efforts to secure the release of other US nationals in Russian custody, namely Whelan.
RT.com, 8 Dec, 2022-