Brittney Griner: Russia frees US basketball star in swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout

Brittney Griner, an incarcerated American basketball player, was traded to Russia for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been detained in an American jail for 12 years. According to President Joe Biden, Griner is safe and returning home from the United Arab Emirates on a plane.

He stated at the White House, “I’m delighted to hear Brittney’s in excellent spirits… she needs time and space to heal. Russian media reported that Bout, also known as the “dealer of death,” has returned to Moscow.

After arriving in Russia, Bout made a few brief comments to a reporter from national television. “In the middle of the night they just woke me up and said ‘Get your things together,’ and that was it,” he claimed.

Bout allegedly hugged his mother and wife as he descended the plane’s stairs while carrying a bunch of flowers. Griner was detained in February at a Moscow airport for having cannabis oil, and last month he was transferred to a prison camp.

In July, the Biden administration suggested a prisoner swap, knowing that Moscow had long demanded Bout’s release. Two private aircraft flew the pair from Moscow and Washington to Abu Dhabi airport for the elaborate swap, and then flew them back home.

Footage on Russian state media – apparently provided by Russian security services – showed them crossing on the tarmac with their respective teams.

“The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle praised the efforts of the Biden administration in securing her release: “I’m just standing here overwhelmed with emotions.”

A joint Saudi-UAE statement claims that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were instrumental in the mediation efforts.

The Saudi heir to the throne enjoys good ties with Vladimir Putin of Russia, and in September he assisted in organising a complicated exchange of hundreds of captives held by Russia and Ukraine.

However, the White House insisted that no mediation had taken place. “The only countries that negotiated this deal were the United States and Russia,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

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