Russia: Brittney Griner Prisoner Swap Has 'Strengthened,' Putin Wants Arms Dealer Viktor Bout

Just one day after it emerged that WNBA superstar Brittney Griner was sent to Female Penal Colony IK-2, a Russian diplomat said the prospect of a prisoner exchange for her release had “strengthened” and could likely involve convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

"I want to hope that the prospect not only remains but is being strengthened and that the moment will come when we will get a concrete agreement," said Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov Friday, according to Reuters.

"The Americans are showing some external activity, we are working professionally through a special channel designed for this," Ryabkov said. "Viktor Bout is among those who are being discussed, and we certainly count on a positive result."

The White House and Kremlin have seemingly agreed over the past several months on potentially exchanging Bout for Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.  

Although the U.S. State Department took Ryabkov’s comments with a grain of salt mixed with skepticism.

“We have made a substantial offer that the Russian Federation has consistently failed to negotiate in good faith,” said a department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, who added that the Kremlin’s “failure to seriously negotiate on these issues in the established channel, or any other channel for that matter, runs counter to its public statements.”

Why Viktor Bout? It's Personal For Putin

Once among the world’s most wanted men, Bout, 56, was arrested in Thailand in 2008, then extradited to the U.S. where in 2012 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of arming rebels in some of the world's bloodiest conflicts. Dubbed the "Merchant of Death” Bout inspired the 2005 arms smuggling movie "Lord of War."

Michael A. McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow, said getting Bout back home is probably personal with Putin, also a former K.G.B. officer. “There are lots of hints in Bout’s biography, even on his Wikipedia page, which suggests that he had close ties with Soviet and Russian intelligence,” McFaul said. “You know who else does? Putin. My guess is that Putin wants to liberate his comrade. Loyalty among these folks, the Chekists, runs deep.”

Photo: Wikipedia