Russia Optimistic on US Prisoner Swap That Includes Griner
- Russian official says ‘quiet diplomacy’ should bear fruit
- Moscow confirms discussions on Griner, Whelan and Bout
Brittney Griner is escorted to the courtroom in Khimki outside Moscow, on Aug. 4.
Photographer: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty
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Russia for the first time expressed guarded optimism about talks with the US on a prisoner exchange involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American.
“‘Quiet diplomacy’ is continuing, and it should bear fruit, if of course, Washington strictly follows it without slipping into propaganda,” Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with the state Tass news service published on Saturday.