Putin on Griner-Bout Exchange: FSB Achieved Results, Intel Contacts on Prisoners Swap Continue
/ Go to the mediabankUS basketball star Brittney Griner
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BISHKEK (Sputnik) – The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) negotiated the exchange of Russian businessman Viktor Bout for US basketball player Brittney Griner and achieved results, contacts on other exchanges are continuing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
"As for the exchanges, these issues were managed by the FSB in this case. The FSB preliminary negotiated and achieved the results that you know about [the exchange of Bout for Griner]. Contacts continue, they have never stopped between the intelligence services," Putin told reporters.
According to the Russian president, other prisoner exchanges are possible.
"Anything is possible. This is the result of negotiations and the search for compromises, in this case compromises were found. We do not refuse to continue this work in the future," Putin said.
Griner was arrested in February when she tried to bring cannabis oil into Russia in her luggage. The basketball player said she was aware that drug possession is banned in Russia, but claimed she had no intention to break the law. A Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,576) in August.Russia released Griner from prison in exchange for the United States releasing Bout on Thursday. The latter was serving a 25-year sentence in the United States for alleged arms dealing. Bout strongly denied the charges, with Moscow also maintaining his innocence and calling Bout’s arrest a “kidnapping” of a foreign national by Washington.
