Blinken and Lavrov discuss Griner on their first call of the war
Ukraine has said it is ready to resume Black Sea grain shipments, while senior Russian and US diplomats have spoken of a prisoner swap involving basketball star Brittney Griner.
ODESA, Ukraine — Senior Russian and U.S. diplomats spoke on Friday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, to discuss a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Britney Griner. Although no breakthrough was reported, it marked a resumption of direct communication between Washington and Moscow.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has told a news conference that he urged Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov in a phone call to agree to a deal for the release of Ms Griner and another American, Paul N. Whelan , whom the State Department calls "wrongfully detained".
"I urged Foreign Minister Lavrov to go ahead with this proposal ", did he declare. "I'm not going to characterize his response, and I can't tell you if I think things are more or less likely."
The Biden Administration, who came under enormous public pressure to release Ms Griner, offered to hand over imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the two Americans, according to a person briefed on the talks. Ms Griner was detained a week before the war began for entering Russia with vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil, while Mr Whelan was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage; he says he was framed.
In its statement on the appeal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that what was needed for a possible exchange of prisoners was "quiet diplomacy". not the publication of "speculative information". The West's arming of Ukraine, he said, "only prolongs the agony of the Kyiv regime, prolonging the conflict and multiplying the casualties".
M. Blinken said he also pressed Mr Lavrov to respect an agreement reached last week by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations to ease the Russian naval blockade and allow grain shipments to leave ports. Black Sea Ukrainians. It is the most important agreement ever reached between the warring countries since the invasion of Russia five months ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that his country was now ready to begin shipping grain and that cargo ships could start moving within days, heralding what would be a major step towards reducing growing global hunger. ., said Zelensky during a visit to Chernomorsk, a port near Odessa. "We have given the signal to our partners, the UN and Turkey, and our army will guarantee security."
Even if the grain ships set off, danger, uncertainty and deep mistrust will hang over the effort, and major obstacles to achieving the deal remain.
The crucial wildcard in the Mrs. Griner's case, as with food exports, is the unpredictability of Russia, which on many topics has delivered conflicting accounts of events and its positions.
Russian authorities claim that the case of Mrs. Griner, who pleaded gui...
Ukraine has said it is ready to resume Black Sea grain shipments, while senior Russian and US diplomats have spoken of a prisoner swap involving basketball star Brittney Griner.
ODESA, Ukraine — Senior Russian and U.S. diplomats spoke on Friday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, to discuss a possible prisoner exchange involving American basketball star Britney Griner. Although no breakthrough was reported, it marked a resumption of direct communication between Washington and Moscow.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has told a news conference that he urged Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov in a phone call to agree to a deal for the release of Ms Griner and another American, Paul N. Whelan , whom the State Department calls "wrongfully detained".
"I urged Foreign Minister Lavrov to go ahead with this proposal ", did he declare. "I'm not going to characterize his response, and I can't tell you if I think things are more or less likely."
The Biden Administration, who came under enormous public pressure to release Ms Griner, offered to hand over imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the two Americans, according to a person briefed on the talks. Ms Griner was detained a week before the war began for entering Russia with vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil, while Mr Whelan was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage; he says he was framed.
In its statement on the appeal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that what was needed for a possible exchange of prisoners was "quiet diplomacy". not the publication of "speculative information". The West's arming of Ukraine, he said, "only prolongs the agony of the Kyiv regime, prolonging the conflict and multiplying the casualties".
M. Blinken said he also pressed Mr Lavrov to respect an agreement reached last week by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations to ease the Russian naval blockade and allow grain shipments to leave ports. Black Sea Ukrainians. It is the most important agreement ever reached between the warring countries since the invasion of Russia five months ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that his country was now ready to begin shipping grain and that cargo ships could start moving within days, heralding what would be a major step towards reducing growing global hunger. ., said Zelensky during a visit to Chernomorsk, a port near Odessa. "We have given the signal to our partners, the UN and Turkey, and our army will guarantee security."
Even if the grain ships set off, danger, uncertainty and deep mistrust will hang over the effort, and major obstacles to achieving the deal remain.
The crucial wildcard in the Mrs. Griner's case, as with food exports, is the unpredictability of Russia, which on many topics has delivered conflicting accounts of events and its positions.
Russian authorities claim that the case of Mrs. Griner, who pleaded gui...
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