VIKTOR BOUT

Viktor Bout, freed in a prisoner swap for WBNA star Brittney Griner, appeared to back out of a pledge to fight in Ukraine during an interview.

Brittney Griner has asked her supporters to advocate for the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year prison term in Russia for espionage charges the United States are baseless.

WNBA star Brittney Griner penned a letter to supporters thanking them and urged them to write to Paul Whelan, who is also imprisoned in Russia.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the administration's commitment to bringing Paul Whelan home as "absolutely rock solid."

A notorious arms dealer with alleged ties to Russian security services, Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States in late 2010. In the interview, Bout described his time in solitary confinement as especially harrowing —"Yes, there was panic. Yes, it was very difficult," he told Butina — but also complained about American prison food, lamenting his inability to access garlic or fresh herbs. In that interview, Bout was eager to play the role of national martyr. “I am proud that I am Russian, and that Putin is our president," Bout said of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Sitting in a Moscow studio as snow fell outside, looking relaxed in a blue blazer and maroon T-shirt, Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout described his 14 years in a U.S. prison in his first interview since he was exchanged for Brittney Griner, an American basketball player who had been held in a Russian prison colony following a drug conviction earlier this year.

Kremlin requested the release of former Russian Colonel Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for murder, in exchange for Whelan.

A U.S. envoy says Brittney Griner was eager to talk to everyone on the plane taking her away from captivity.

WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want any alone time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — WNBA star Brittney Griner didn't want any alone time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home. I want to talk,” Griner said, according to Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, who helped secure the basketball star’s release and bring her back to the U.S. last week. “It was really amazing.”Ultimately, Griner spent about 12 hours of an 18-hour flight talking with others on the plane, Carstens said. The U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected. But the U.S. was unable to secure the freedom of Paul Whelan, who has been held in Russia for nearly four years.

WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want quiet time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home.

Viktor Bout, the convicted arms dealer the US swapped with Russia, revealed details of his encounter with Brittney Griner at the prisoner exchange.

Viktor Bout said he “wholeheartedly” supports the war, in his first TV interview since he and WNBA star Brittney Griner were exchanged in a prisoner swap.

Former DEA Special Ops Director Derek Maltz weighs in on the Biden administration's controversial trade and the impact it will have on foreign policy.

Brittney Griner is lucky to be home, when Americans like Austin Tice remain in a foreign prison [Opinion]

The brother of former Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly four years, slammed former President Trump on Friday after Trump criticized the Biden administration for the deal it struck to free WNBA star Brittney Griner but not Whelan. David Whelan said in a post on Twitter that Trump seems to…

While securing the swap may have scored points for President Joe Biden at home, the same goes for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

CBS, the first news outlet to confirm news of WNBA star Griner's release from a Russian prison agreed to a White House request to delay the story.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible.

Brittney Griner landed in San Antonio, Texas early Friday morning, the day after President Biden announced the WNBA star was part of a prisoner swap with Russia.

Several Republican lawmakers and political commentators have criticized President Biden for excluding for US Marine Paul Whelan in a Russian prisoner swap announced Thursday.

Britney Griner is a free woman after 294 days behind bars in Russia, to the relief of just about everyone in the basketball world. To have her a part of the basketball brother and sisterhood, it's a big day for us and what we do. Most notable among those Americans detained is Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly four years. Even when offered a straight Whelan-for-Bout exchange, Russia reportedly balked at negotiating. My comments on “The Shop” regarding Brittney Griner wasn’t knocking our beautiful country.

Emotions for Brittney Griner's friends, family and colleagues have been running high since the announcement of her release.

The efforts to secure Griner's release resulted in the highest-level diplomatic contact between the U.S. and Russia in months.

The brother of U.S citizen Paul Whelan, currently being imprisoned in Russia, spoke out following the Brittney Griner-Viktor Bout trade earlier Thursday

Brittney Griner's release from a Russian prison reignited the debate over the effectiveness of prisoner swaps.

Footage of Griner's return to American custody was released by Russian state news outlets after President Biden announced the swap Thursday morning.

President Biden announced Thursday that WNBA star Brittney Griner had been released in a prisoner swap with Russia. Now that she has been freed, will Griner stand for the anthem?

Houston is lighting its city hall in red, white and blue tonight to honor the return of native Brittney Griner from Russia following a prisoner swap.

The US and Russia were willing to talk despite worsening relations - but there were limits to the deal.

Following months of intense negotiations, the United States managed to secure Briner's freedom in a one-to-one swap for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer. "The Russian security services watched Griner closely and knew they could compromise her," a former U.S. intelligence officer told Yahoo News earlier this year. Even by the Kremlin’s suspect characterization of Whelan and Griner, the allegations against Bout are far worse. Even Bout's aliases — "Viktor Budd," "Viktor Butt" and, simply, "Boris" — might have stretched credulity for a Bond villain. "They will try to lock me up for life," the then-45-year-old Bout told the New Yorker before his sentencing.

President Biden on Thursday said Brittney Griner is "safe" and on her way home after being freed from Russian custody in a prisoner exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout . “These past few months have been hell for Brittney and Cherelle and her entire family,” Biden said. “We did not forget about Brittney, and we have not forgotten about Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly detained in Russia for years,” Biden said. “Today my family is whole,” Cherelle Griner said. She added: “Brittney and I will remain committed to the work of getting every American home, including Paul, whose family is in our hearts today.”

Officials have freed WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony in a prisoner swap that saw the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to multiple reports. >> Read more trending newsBREAKING: Russia has freed American WNBA star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap, with the U.S. releasing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to U.S. officials. https://t.co/VhWRFsCoKd — The Associated Press (@AP) December 8, 2022Check back for more on this developing story. ©2022 Cox Media Group

The family of Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, says that he has resumed contact after unexpectedly becoming unreachable in November.

The United States maintains Russia has not negotiated in good faith to bring WNBA superstar Brittney Griner back home. She is serving a nine-year sentence.

WNBA star Brittney Griner this week began serving her nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.

WNBA player Brittney Griner could be freed in exchange for a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the "merchant of death".

Notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout could be exchanged for US basketball player Brittney Griner.

A show of prison artwork by a Russian arms trader serving 25 years in the United States and the focus of speculation about a prisoner swap that could free WBNA star Brittney Griner has opened at the upper chamber of the Russian parliament.

President Joe Biden says he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to negotiate the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner now that the U.S. midterm elections are over.

A Kremlin official said Wednesday that any talks of a prisoner swap involving WNBA star Brittney Griner must be "conducted in silence under a tight lid on any information."

The Kremlin has reiterated that any discussions about a possible swap involving U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner who is serving a nine-year prison sentence in Russia for drug possession must be strictly confidential.

Brittney Griner's attorneys said they were "disappointed" in a Russian court's decision on Tuesday to reject her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Brittney Griner spent her 32nd birthday in a Russian prison, awaiting an appeal to her nine-year sentence for drug possession that’s set for next week.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is at her “absolute weakest moment in life right now” as she faces a hearing in Russia later this month for her appeal of a nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

President Joe Biden met with family members of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detained in Russia, Paul Whelan.

The meeting will be Biden's first in-person visit with the athlete's wife since she was arrested at the Moscow airport in February on drug charges.

President Joe Biden plans to meet at the White House on Friday with the families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom remain jailed in Russia.

Bill Richardson, who has worked to secure the releases of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, visited Moscow this week and held meetings with Russian leaders.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said talks on a prisoner exchange were ongoing, but warned the United States against conducting diplomacy in public.

Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations, says he's hopeful about the chances of a two-for-two prisoner swap that could result in the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan.

The Kremlin says it’s open to talking about a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Brittney Griner but strongly warned Washington against publicizing the issue.

WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested nearly six months ago at a Moscow airport over cannabis vape cartridges found in her luggage.

Now that WNBA star Brittney Griner has been convicted of drug possession and sentenced to nine years in prison, attention turns to the prospect of a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia that could get her home.

Russia will regard any prisoner swap as a propaganda win. But the real message we can proclaim is about American values.

A judge in Russia convicted American basketball star Brittney Griner of drug possession and smuggling.

American basketball star Brittney Griner is back in court for her trial for cannabis possession amid U.S. diplomatic efforts to secure her release.

Since Brittney Griner last appeared in her trial for cannabis possession, the question of her fate has expanded from a cramped courtroom on Moscow’s outskirts to the highest level of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

A roundup of key developments and the latest in-depth coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"She knew you don't go in there loaded up with drugs, and she admitted it. I assume she admitted it without too much force," Trump said of Griner.

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday it "doesn't seem" like a good trade if the U.S. exchanges WNBA star Brittney Griner for a Russian arms dealer.

The U.S. has made a 'substantial' offer to free Americans from Russia, but the release of Bout would be controversial.

Many U.S. officials and analysts believe that Russia is motivated by Bout’s links to military intelligence.

Russia wants to add murderer to prisoner swap for Griner, Whelan: Report

(Photo by U.S. Department of Justice via Getty Images)According to press reports, the U.S. government is prepared to swap notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, two Americans currently jailed in Russia. "The Russian security services watched Griner closely and knew they could compromise her," a former U.S. intelligence officer told Yahoo News. Even Bout's aliases — "Viktor Budd," "Viktor Butt" and, simply, "Boris" — might have stretched the credulity for a Bond villain. The text of the resolution cites not only Russian military atrocities against civilians in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, but also names the Wagner Group, a notorious mercenary outfit. "They will try to lock me up for life," the then-45-year-old Bout told the New Yorker before his sentencing.

US Japan Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee (EPCC) at the State Department in Washington, Friday, July 29, 2022. (Tom Brenner/Pool Photo via AP) (Tom Brenner)WASHINGTON — (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone on Friday and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. offer to release two Americans detained in Russia. Blinken did not provide details of Lavrov’s response to what he had previously called a “substantial proposal" for Russia to release the two U.S. citizens: Paul Whelan and Brittany Griner. Blinken had publicly requested the call and revealed the existence of the offer to Russia — which people familiar with it say involves a swap for Whelan and Griner with convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he has spoken to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and urged Moscow to accept a U.S. proposal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee, Paul Whelan.

Russia's top diplomat says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner.

Brittney Griner WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner stands in a cage at a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, July 26, 2022. American basketball star Brittney Griner has returned to a Russian courtroom for her drawn-out trial on drug charges that could bring her 10 years in prison if convicted. In early May, the State Department classified Griner as wrongfully detained without explanation and began working to negotiate her release. Blinken’s public acknowledgement of an offer for Griner and Whelan reflects the mounting pressure on the administration to get both home. Russian state media has repeatedly floated potential prisoner trades for Bouts while he is serving a 25-year sentence in Illinois.

Bout is a Russian who was the world's most notorious arms dealer in the 1990s and early 2000s. He's serving a 25-year prison sentence in Illinois, but could be freed as part of a U.S.-Russia swap.

The Kremlin has warned that a possible prisoner swap with the United States involving American basketball star Brittney Griner needs to be negotiated quietly without fanfare.

WNBA star Brittney Griner testified at her drug possession trial in Russia that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during questioning when she was detained at Moscow’s airport in February and officials told her to sign documents without giving an explanation.

The latest Russian court hearing in the drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner has focused on testimony about countries that regard cannabis as having legitimate medicinal uses.

The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry says the United States has shown disrespect for Russian law by characterizing basketball star Brittney Griner’s jailing on drug charges as “wrongful detention.”.

A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner at her drug possession trial has given a Russian court a letter from a U.S. doctor recommending she use cannabis to treat pain.

The drug possession trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner has resumed, with the head of the Russian club she plays for in the offseason and a teammate from that squad testifying in support of her character and what she has meant for women’s basketball in the country.

A Russian arms dealer labeled the “Merchant of Death” and who once inspired a Hollywood movie is back in the headlines again.

When Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession in a Russian court, hopes rose that her months of detention may soon be over, either through a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap or a pardon from President Vladimir Putin.

WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug possession charges on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

WNBA star Brittney Griner has gone on trial in a Russian court on charges of possessing cannabis oil.

WNBA star Brittney Griner appeared in a court near Moscow that ordered her trial on cannabis possession charges to begin Friday, about 4 1/2 months after she was arrested at an airport while returning to play for a Russian team.

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner will remain in Russian custody through at least July 2 after her detention was extended for a third time, Russian state-run media has reported.

WNBA star Brittney Griner is easily the most prominent American locked up by a foreign country.

Families of American hostages and detainees say they're frustrated with the Justice Department over what they see as the agency's refusal to consider prisoner exchanges that could get their loved ones home.

Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin of Russia spent more than three hours discussing issues Wednesday at their summit in Geneva.