Russia says ready to discuss prisoner swaps with US

Russia said on Friday it would be ready to discuss prisoner swaps with the United States through an existing diplomatic channel, a day after a Russian court sentenced Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for a drug offense.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden had previously agreed on a diplomatic channel that should be used to discuss such matters.

Lavrov said during a visit to Cambodia that they were ready to discuss this topic, but within the framework of the channel agreed upon by Presidents Putin and Biden.

If the Americans decide to resort to public diplomacy again, that is their business and I would even say that it is their problem. The Kremlin warned the US not to use megaphone diplomacy in the case of Griner, saying it could only derail efforts to secure a potential swap.