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Resume talks with Russia, Blinken to discuss ‘substantial’ offer for prisoners

#Resume #talks #Russia #Blinken #discuss #substantial #offer #prisoners

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday he would speak to his Russian counterpart for the first time since the Ukraine war to endorse a “substantive proposal” for the release of imprisoned Americans.

Blinken said he expects a phone call with Secretary of State Sergei Lavrov “in the coming days” to advance a bid to release basketball star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.

The couple “were wrongly arrested and must be allowed to return home,” Blinken told reporters.

“We tabled a major proposal weeks ago to facilitate their release. Our governments have communicated repeatedly and directly about this proposal and I will use the conversation to follow up personally,” he said.

Citing the sensitivity, Blinken declined to go into detail or confirm reports that the United States was offering to trade her for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms smuggler.

The United States and Russia have already carried out a prisoner swap in the heat of the Ukraine war: In April, Washington swapped former US Marine Trevor Reed for convicted drug smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko.

President Joe Biden’s administration is facing mounting pressure to free Griner, a basketball star who has pleaded guilty to transporting cannabis oil in Russia. She testified at her trial on Wednesday that she did so unintentionally.

Whelan, a security guard at an auto parts company, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison for espionage, which he denies.

In a statement, Whelan’s family expressed appreciation for the Biden administration’s efforts and hoped Russia would accept “this concession or another” for its freedom.

– No negotiations on Ukraine –

The phone call will be the first between Blinken and Lavrov since February 15, when the top US diplomat warned Russia about an invasion of Ukraine.

Russia went ahead and nine days later attacked its neighbor, prompting the United States and its allies to impose sweeping sanctions and try to isolate Moscow on the world stage.

The talk “will not be a negotiation about Ukraine,” Blinken told reporters.

“Any negotiation about Ukraine is up to its population and its people,” he said.

Blinken said the United States – which has pumped billions in military aid to Ukraine – has “no illusions” that Russia is ready to engage “sensibly and constructively” to end the war.

“In the meantime, we will continue to do everything we can to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the battlefield,” he said.

Blinken said he will also urge Russia to fulfill a landmark deal struck in Turkey last week to allow Ukrainian grain to be unblocked after a lockdown sent global food prices skyrocketing.

“Hundreds of millions of people are waiting for these ships to leave Ukrainian ports,” Blinken said.

He also said he would warn of further consequences should Russia annex more Ukrainian territory. Moscow seized Crimea in 2014 and declared the peninsula part of Russia, a decision not recognized by most parts of the world.

The White House recently said Russia was laying the groundwork for “sham referenda” in territories it has conquered, possibly as early as September.

Lavrov, a veteran diplomat known for his quick, snappy wit, met in person with Blinken in Geneva on Jan. 21 in a last-ditch US effort to warn Russia about an invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken canceled a follow-up meeting with Lavrov on February 22 when US intelligence determined that President Vladimir Putin would go ahead.

Blinken specifically declined to meet with Lavrov when both attended a Group of 20 ministerial meeting in Bali earlier this month, where the United States brought together its allies to criticize Russia in the closed-door sessions.

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