Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov visited Viktor Bout, an infamous Russian arms dealer serving a long prison sentence in the U.S. who has been linked to a possible prisoner swap between the two countries.
Antonov spent about 90 minutes this week with Bout, who has garnered the nickname “the merchant of death” for selling weapons to alleged human rights abusers across the globe.
“He really wants to return to his homeland, he yearns for his family, for his mother,” Antonov said in a short video posted by the Russian Embassy on Telegram. He called Bout “energetic and inspiring” and said that he had been sick, not with the coronavirus, but had been provided with all necessary medical care.
BRITTNEY GRINER AND PAUL WHELAN COULD BE FREED BY YEAR’S END, ADVOCATE SAYS
“He has no complaints. He really lacks normal communication. He said that he even began to forget some Russian words a bit because there is no one to talk to,” a Russian state media outlet, RIA, reported, per Reuters.
While he is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S., his future is tied to two Americans currently serving their prison sentences in Russia, though the Biden administration views them as being “wrongfully detained.”
Brittney Griner, a WNBA superstar who had played in Russia for years during the offseason, was arrested in February for bringing vape cartridges that contained minimal amounts of cannabis oil through a Moscow airport. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a nine-year prison sentence, one year shy of the max penalty she faced under Russian law, which overwhelmingly results in guilty verdicts. Her appeal begins later this month.
Paul Whelan, a Michigan man, is serving a 16-year sentence on espionage-related charges that he and his family vehemently deny. He has been held since late 2018. Whelan was able to call his parents for the second time in nearly a month, his brother David Whelan said in a note to reporters on Wednesday.
The Biden administration has said it offered a “substantial proposal” to the Kremlin to secure Whelan and Griner’s release, and it was widely reported that this deal included Bout’s return.
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Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, a longtime advocate for American hostages abroad, said earlier this week that he believes both Griner and Whelan could be returned by the end of the year.
“I am cautiously optimistic on the Griner-[Whelan] negotiations,” Richardson said on CNN on Sunday, adding that he expects “it’s going to be a two-for-two deal.”
President Joe Biden was asked on Wednesday if there had been any progress about a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding a swap, and he said, “Not with Putin.” Biden said he’d meet with Putin at the G-20 Summit next month if it were to discuss their cases but that otherwise, he doesn’t plan to meet with the Russian president.
