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Brittney Griner, the WNBA prima who was held for months successful Russian prisons connected cause charges, was released Thursday successful a one-for-one prisoner swap for planetary arms dealer Viktor Bout, CBS News learned aboriginal Thursday from a U.S. official. The one-for-one speech statement negotiated with Moscow successful caller weeks was fixed last support by President Biden wrong just the past week, according to sources acquainted with the deal. The swap, archetypal reported by CBS News, took spot connected Thursday successful the United Arab Emirates.
Five erstwhile U.S. officials told CBS News the agreement had been reached arsenic of last Thursday.
A White House authoritative said the president spoke to Brittney Griner by phone. The telephone happened successful the Oval Office, wherever the president was joined by Cherelle Griner, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Per modular process for freed U.S. prisoners, Griner was expected to rapidly acquisition a aesculapian evaluation.
President Biden is expected to talk astatine 8:30 a.m. Eastern astatine the White House astir the captive swap that saw Brittney Griner released. You volition beryllium capable to ticker his remarks unrecorded successful the subordinate astatine the apical of this page.
"She is safe. She is connected a plane. She is connected her mode home," Mr. Biden said successful a tweet, which included a mates photos of himself successful the Oval Office with Cherelle Griner.
To unafraid Griner's release, the president ordered Bout to beryllium freed and returned to Russia. Mr. Biden signed the commutation bid cutting abbreviated Bout's 25-year national situation sentence.
Notably, the Griner-for-Bout speech leaves retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan imprisoned successful Russia. Whelan has been successful Russian custody for astir 4 years. He was convicted connected espionage charges that the U.S. has called false.
Griner was detained astatine a Russian airdrome successful February and aboriginal pleaded blameworthy to charges stemming from the find of cannabis-derived lipid cartridges successful her luggage.
After 5 months of stalled diplomacy and assorted permutations of imaginable swap arrangements — including a antecedently unreported connection by the U.S. this past summertime to nonstop 2 prisoners backmost to Russia for the 2 Americans — sources accidental the one-for-one speech came unneurotic implicit the past 2 weeks.
It remains unclear what led to the breakthrough, but the Biden medication made astatine slightest 1 concession by agreeing to trim the swap to 1 American for 1 Russian.
At the extremity of November, the State Department blasted the Russian authorities for a nonaccomplishment to bargain successful bully faith. As precocious arsenic Sunday, connected CBS News "Face the Nation," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said U.S. negotiators were "actively engaged" with their Russian counterparts.
Asked by CBS News astir reports of Russia's tendency for a one-for-one swap successful spite of America's hopes to instrumentality some Griner and Whelan, Blinken noted that immoderate woody would beryllium taxable to communal agreement.
"The different broadside gets a ballot successful this. It's not conscionable what we want. It's what they're prepared to do," Blinken said, without denying the Russian reports. However, helium indicated the medication was continuing to propulsion for the instrumentality of some Americans.
"One mode oregon another, 1 time oregon another, we're going to spot that through," helium said.
In July, the Biden medication said it had offered the Kremlin what it described arsenic a "significant proposal" to bring some American prisoners home. The White House ne'er publically confirmed what the U.S. had offered, but privately, officials indicated to CBS News that archetypal quality reports pointing to the imaginable for lone Bout's merchandise were incorrect, and that the president was prepared to see letting 2 Russian prisoners instrumentality successful speech for some Griner and Whelan's freedom.
Whelan, who erstwhile worked arsenic a firm information contractor, was successful Moscow for a friend's wedding erstwhile helium was detained astatine a edifice successful December 2018. Russian authorities aboriginal sentenced him to 16 years successful situation for espionage — a complaint the U.S. and Whelan denied. This period marks the 4th day of Whelan's clip successful Russian custody.
Bout, who was astir precocious held astatine a national situation successful Marion, Illinois, was arrested by the Drug Enforcement Agency successful Thailand pursuing a sting cognition successful 2008. He was convicted of conspiring to termination Americans and began his 25-year condemnation a decennary ago.
Prior to his arrest, Bout was accused by the U.N. of arming Liberian President Charles Taylor during the brutal civilian warfare successful Sierra Leone. He served arsenic the inspiration for Nicholas Cage's quality successful the movie "Lord of War." Bout's merchandise is definite to spark disapproval from immoderate of the DEA agents who tracked and arrested him.
Griner's apprehension coincided with the February commencement to Russia's unprovoked penetration of Ukraine, and each U.S. dealings with the Kremlin person been analyzable by that conflict. The U.S. has said some Griner and Whelan were "wrongfully detained," and officials person suspected that Russia has been utilizing the American prisoners arsenic leverage.
Griner's instrumentality for Bout marks the Biden administration's 2nd captive swap with Russia. In April, the U.S. traded Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine, for Trevor Reed. The erstwhile U.S. Marine had been imprisoned successful Russia for astir 3 years.
CBS News learned past Thursday that the Griner-for-Bout swap was successful the offing but agreed to a White House petition to clasp the reporting due to the fact that officials expressed sedate interest astir the fragility of the then-emerging deal.
The Biden medication officials warned that making details of the swap nationalist beforehand would astir surely pb Russia to propulsion retired of the statement and perchance endanger Griner's well-being.
Nancy Cordes, Ed O'Keefe, Sara Cook, Camilla Schick, Tucker Reals and Haley Ott contributed reporting.
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