Last week, the Biden administration proposed a deal to Russia: the “Merchant of Death” for Brittney Griner. The “Merchant of Death” sold firearms to terrorists. He was finally found and put in jail for conspiring to kill Americans. Griner is a WNBA player in jail for having hashish oil in her luggage. The Biden administration also proposed that a former marine is released from Russia as well.
There is a clear winner in this deal. However unfavorable this might be, the US sees this as necessary. Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the CIA says “[w]e value our own citizens more than we value the foreign criminal.” It is because of this that the Biden administration is willing to put worth this unfavorable trade.
As of right now, the representatives of each country have not spoken about this proposal. Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered to speak with Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov, but Lavrov’s spokeswomen said he “will pay attention to this request when time permits. Now he has a busy schedule of international conflicts.”
There are many reasons why Griner’s case is so high-profile, one of them being she is a star athlete with many Olympic titles to her name. However, there is another major reason.
She was arrested a week before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and many believe that she was intended to use as a political pawn to get the “Merchant of Death” released. Michael A. McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow says “[m]y guess is that Putin wants to liberate his comrade [The “Merchant of Death].”
President Biden has a major role in this political game with Russia. He signed an executive order that required support for Americans that are wrongfully detained. This obligation and the cries of the whole basketball world led his administration to propose this deal.
The US is currently in the process of negotiating an unfavorable deal with Russia. Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison last week. It will be interesting to see if Russia is willing to talk to the US and if the deal will occur with the new development in Griner’s criminal case.
Link to source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659263427193x621719543737524700/Why%20the%20U.S.%20Offered%20to%20Swap%20Griner%20for%20Bout%2C%20a%20Russian%20Arms%20Dealer%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
There is a clear winner in this deal. However unfavorable this might be, the US sees this as necessary. Jeremy Bash, former chief of staff at the CIA says “[w]e value our own citizens more than we value the foreign criminal.” It is because of this that the Biden administration is willing to put worth this unfavorable trade.
As of right now, the representatives of each country have not spoken about this proposal. Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered to speak with Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov, but Lavrov’s spokeswomen said he “will pay attention to this request when time permits. Now he has a busy schedule of international conflicts.”
There are many reasons why Griner’s case is so high-profile, one of them being she is a star athlete with many Olympic titles to her name. However, there is another major reason.
She was arrested a week before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and many believe that she was intended to use as a political pawn to get the “Merchant of Death” released. Michael A. McFaul, a former American ambassador to Moscow says “[m]y guess is that Putin wants to liberate his comrade [The “Merchant of Death].”
President Biden has a major role in this political game with Russia. He signed an executive order that required support for Americans that are wrongfully detained. This obligation and the cries of the whole basketball world led his administration to propose this deal.
The US is currently in the process of negotiating an unfavorable deal with Russia. Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison last week. It will be interesting to see if Russia is willing to talk to the US and if the deal will occur with the new development in Griner’s criminal case.
Link to source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659263427193x621719543737524700/Why%20the%20U.S.%20Offered%20to%20Swap%20Griner%20for%20Bout%2C%20a%20Russian%20Arms%20Dealer%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf