Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for Viktor Bout! Did America make the right decision?

Brittney Griner, an incarcerated American basketball player, was recently released by Russia in a high-profile prisoner swap for renowned arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death,” who had spent 12 years in a US prison.

Joe Biden said in a statement from the White House that he found Griner to be “in high spirits” while chatting following the swap in Abu Dhabi. Griner had spent over ten months in jail on drug-related charges.

But the president lamented that Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive who has been imprisoned since December 2018 on espionage allegations that his family and the US government deny, was left out of the arrangement.

“Unfortunately, Russia is treating Paul’s situation differently from Brittney’s for absolutely unjustified reasons,” added Biden. And although if we have not yet been successful in getting Paul’s release, we will keep trying. Will never ever we give up.

The most well-known American held abroad was released after the second such exchange in eight months, following the release of Trevor Reed in April.

Russian official media got confirmation from the foreign ministry that Griner and Bout had been swapped in a covert transaction in Abu Dhabi, but no further information was provided.

Later, video of the swap of Griner for Bout on the grounds of the airport in Abu Dhabi surfaced; according to the Financial Times, it was captured by Russia’s FSB security agency.

Griner, a two-time gold winner at the Olympics, was imprisoned on drug-related accusations, and his case brought the issue of unjustified detention to the public’s attention. She was detained in February, found guilty in August, and given a nine-year prison term in a Russian labor camp.

The need for Griner to return home was highlighted by Biden’s approval of Bout’s release. But Whelan’s exclusion, who was also labeled as having been illegally detained, comes with a cost. He received a 16-year prison term in 2020.

The Griner trade was welcomed by Whelan’s family, but they expressed their “devastation” that he was not set free. His brother David Whelan said, “US government authorities informed us in advance that Paul would be left behind.” Our family was able to mentally prepare for what is now a public disappointment for us thanks to the early notice. A calamity for Paul as well.

From Russia, Whelan personally have spoken to CNN. He said, “I don’t know why I’m still sitting here. I’m quite upset that more hasn’t been done to obtain my release, especially since it will soon be four years after my incarceration.

He argued that Biden should step up efforts to get his release “whatever of the price they might have to pay,” noting that he was aware the Russians treated him differently from Griner since he had been found guilty of spying.

The charges against Whelan, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, are “a sham.”

After several months of talks, Biden expressed optimism in November. A deal could be reached before the end of the year, a senior Russian official predicted last week. However, given that US officials had for months professed a desire to bring Griner and Whelan home, the fact that the transaction was a one-for-one swap came as a surprise.

The US Justice Department reportedly referred to Bout, a former Soviet lieutenant colonel, one of the most active arms dealers in the world. He was incarcerated for 25 years for planning to sell weapons worth tens of millions of dollars that US officials claimed would be used against citizens of the country.

Griner’s legal drama was influenced by racial, gender, and societal factors since she was an out gay Black woman who was imprisoned in a nation where the government has been antagonistic to the LBGTQ+ community.

During a period of deteriorating relations brought on by Moscow’s war against Ukraine, her case emerged as a significant turning point in US-Russian diplomacy, leading to the highest-level known contact between Washington and Moscow — a call between Blinken as well as the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov — in more than five months.

In July, Blinken made known to the public that Griner and Whelan had received a “significant proposition” from the US. According to those who are acquainted, the US provided Bout. Such a public offer provoked a retort from the Russians and ran the danger of diminishing US leverage. However, the message was intended to convey that Biden was making every effort.

Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, and Mickey Bergman, his senior aide, concluded months of talks to secure the release. According to statements made on Thursday by the two nations, joint mediation between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also contributed.

Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, and Mickey Bergman, his senior aide, concluded months of talks to secure the release. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia claimed on Thursday that their joint mediation also contributed.

Officials said they discovered vape canisters with cannabis oil in Griner’s luggage, which led to her detention at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. July saw her enter a guilty plea. She claimed in court that she wasn’t acting criminally and that the canisters were accidentally included into her suitcase.

She was deemed to be detained unlawfully by the US State Department in May. There was optimism for more exchanges after a different swap that involved the marine veteran Reed and the Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted of a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

Did America Make The Right Decision For This Trade?