“We Are Ready To Discuss”: Brittney Griner Receives Surprising News Regarding Her Case That Could Mean Her Return To The US

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Talks are heating up between the United States and Russia over a possible swap of WNBA player Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to sources close to the matter.

Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison on Thursday after being found guilty of drug smuggling and possession charges. Her team has already filed an appeal of the conviction.

If the swap does go through, it would be the first time a professional athlete has been traded for a terrorist.

Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States after being convicted of arms trafficking in 2010.

The idea of a Griner-for-Bout swap was first floated earlier this year, but the talks were put on hold after Griner’s arrest.

Now that she has been convicted, the possibility of a swap is back on the table, sources say.

There is no word on when or if a deal would be finalized, but both sides are said to be interested in making it happen.

Griner’s case has garnered international attention, with many wondering why she was targeted by Russian authorities.

Some have speculated that it was because of her high profile as a professional athlete, while others believe that she may have been caught up in a larger political scheme.

Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the Griner-for-Bout swap is a very real possibility at this point.

According to the New York Times, talks about exchanging Griner for the Russian terrorist are becoming more open.

“The discussion of the quite sensitive topic of prisoner exchange of Russian and American citizens has been ongoing along the channels set out by the two presidents,” Darchiev told Russian state media.

Notably, then-Attorney General Eric Holder in November 2011 described Bout as “one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers” who allegedly tried to “sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to terrorists for use in killing Americans.”

Bout, who has been serving a 25-year prison sentence since his 2012 conviction, has long maintained his innocence, and his wife has been campaigning for his release.

In a statement to the Times, Griner’s lawyer said that “any discussion of a swap is premature” and that they are “confident” that her conviction will be overturned on appeal.

The talks come as Griner’s team is appealing her drug conviction in Russia. If the appeal is successful, she could be released from prison early.

It is not clear what role, if any, Griner would play in a potential prisoner swap. However, the Times notes that “the prospect of trading a terrorist for an American basketball player convicted of a crime in Russia would be an extraordinary development, even by the standards of the Trump administration.”

A former DEA agent came out against a possible trade: “Bout, who is known as the “Merchant of Death,” provided the fuel for conflicts across the globe. He was a critical player in the global illicit arms trade not because he could obtain weapons but because he could deliver his destructive cargo anywhere in the world through his control of a private fleet of military aircraft. And he did just that.”