MOSCOW: The US and Russia agreed to privately negotiate a prisoner swap on Friday, one day after a Russian court handed US basketball star Brittney Griner a nine-year prison term for a drug offence.
After Russia moved soldiers into Ukraine on February 24, Griner’s case, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was thrust into a global tumult.
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden have already agreed to establish a diplomatic route to discuss potential prisoner exchanges, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
During a visit to Cambodia, Lavrov stated, “We are willing to discuss this matter but within the scope of the channel that was agreed upon by presidents Putin and Biden.
